IMPORTANT SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS The lightning flash with the arrowhead symbol within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of “dangerous voltage” inside the product that may constitute a risk of electric shock. The exclamation point within an equilateral triangle is intended to alert the user to the presence of important operating and maintenance instructions in the literature accompanying the product. TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRIC SHOCK, DO NOT REMOVE COVER.
INTRODUCTION 3 Thank You for Choosing Parasound Your new Parasound® Halo JC 2 preamplifier represents the pinnacle of analog audio technology. The JC 2 was originally conceived by Parasound president, Richard Schram, as a companion for the famed Halo JC 1 mono power amplifier. In the spirit of the JC 1, Parasound commissioned John Curl and CTC builders to design a two channel preamplifier without compromise.
TABLE OF CONTENTS Important Safety Instructions . Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Unpacking and Placement Guidelines . Rack Mounting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 115 – 230v AC Selector Switch .
UNPACKING YOUR JC 2 AND PLACEMENT GUIDELINES Unpacking Your JC 2 Carefully remove your JC 2 from its shipping carton and locate all the enclosed accessories: • Remote control and two AAA batteries • AC power cord • Four trigger wires, two with 2.5 mm sub-mini plugs, two with a 2.5 mm and a 3.5 mm mini plug While you are unpacking your JC 2, inspect it thoroughly for possible shipping damage and tell your Parasound dealer immediately if you find any.
UNPACKING YOUR JC 2 AND PLACEMENT GUIDELINES Rack Mounting Your Parasound JC 2 With its four feet removed, the JC 2’s front panel height occupies three rack spaces (5 1/4” or 133 mm. (A single standard rack space occupies 1 3/4” vertical space.) For mounting in a standard 19” equipment rack, you must use the Parasound HRA 3 rack mount kit (purchased separately). The HRA 3 includes four bolts and eight plastic washers with raised “shoulders.
CONNECTING YOUR JC 2 Always disconnect the AC cord to your JC 2 and power amplifier(s) before making or changing any input, output or trigger wire connections. Inserting or removing an input or output cable while the JC 2 or power amplifiers are turned on can result in a blast of sound that can damage your loudspeakers. Make sure there is no strain or tension on any cables that could cause them to pull loose. INPUT CONNECTIONS There are a total of six line level input jacks on your JC 2.
CONNECTING YOUR JC 2 continued OUTPUT CONNECTIONS There are four pairs of output connections on the JC 2. All of them are active simultaneously. Record Out Jacks The Record Out jacks connect to the Record Input jacks on your audio recorder. The Record Out jacks provide fixed level signals that are unaffected by the master volume control, L or R level trim controls, mute or polarity invert select.
CONNECTING YOUR JC 2 continued OTHER CONNECTIONS 12V Trigger Out There are four 12 volt trigger outputs. These can be used to turn on power amplifiers and other equipment that are equipped with automatic turn-on inputs. Two of the 12 volt trigger output jacks labeled 1 and 2 are live whenever the JC 2 is turned on. The jacks labeled 3 and 4 are activated when you press the Trigger On button on the remote control. Triggers 3 and 4 are always off when the JC 2 is powered off.
OPERATING YOUR JC 2 Before turning the JC 2 on, recheck all your connections and turn down the volume control to avoid any unpleasant “blasts” that could damage your speakers. Turn On Delay The first time you turn on your JC 2 after connecting its AC power it will automatically mute for 45 seconds with its Mute indicator flashing red. This time allows the JC 2 to warm up and stabilize its circuits so you don’t hear any turn-on transients. After the first turn-on, its turn on delay will be only 4-5 seconds.
OPERATING YOUR JC 2 continued We use independent high-resolution Japanese TKD gain control potentiometers to trim the volume of each channel for a balanced sonic image. In most cases you will simply leave the Left and Right knobs fully clockwise where the potentiometer wipers make direct contacts and are out of the circuit.
OPERATING YOUR JC 2 continued/DESIGN OVERVIEW Polarity Normal & Invert Buttons The polarity (or phase) of the Main Outputs is the same as the input unless you press the Invert button to invert the polarity of the Main Outputs 180° relative to the input signal. Pressing the Normal button restores normal 0° polarity of the Main Outputs. For more information on when to invert polarity, please see the Frequently Asked Questions on page 13 of this manual.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Why is there no sound from the speakers? - Check that AC is live and the “P” badge and an input LED are illuminated. - Check that input and output cables are secure at both ends. - Make sure your JC 2 is switched to the correct input. What could cause the remote to not work? - Remote’s batteries are weak or dead. Earth911.org shows battery recycling options. - Insure that the front panel IR receiver is not obscured or exposed to direct sunlight or to an LCD or a plasma TV screen.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS continued/ WARRANTY JC 2 also insure the best possible analog connection to source components which are equipped with balanced outputs. We generally recommend balanced connections if your power amplifiers or source equipment are located more than 10 feet from your JC 2. Many serious listeners prefer the sonic characteristics of balanced connections because their lower inherent noise floor contributes to a more defined and spacious soundstage.
JC 2 SPECIFICATIONS Frequency Response 5 Hz – 100 kHz, +0/-3 dB Distortion THD: < 0.003% at 100 Hz THD: < 0.005% at 20 kHz IM: < 0.
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