“Terrific unit and somewhat of a bargain. It took some 35 hours of break-in to get the full potential from this amp, but now it sounds amazing. More bass control by far than my previous amp even though it is similar in specs. Just show you can't always judge equipment solely by the numbers.
Image resolution and depth is also first rate. It deserves the high praise it has received from many reviewers, including those at Stereophile which is my go-to reference to start my shopping process.”
“This amp is amazing! My system never sounds this good! The soundstage is wide and very detailed. The placement of the instruments and musicians i's real and make you feel like you are part of a life performance! I didn't know I was missing this much excitement with my previous amps! I highly recommend this amp****^”
“This amp sounds great in so many areas. Its dynamic effortless sound that captures and outputs all the micro details. Very low noise floor or none existent to my ears while being very transparent. Its 12 watts of class A sound sounds amazing when listening at lower volumes but has a seamless transition going to AB. its never shouts at you during highs but it doesn't sound as warm like a McIntosh. Its very linear sound to it across the frequency range and in dynamics. I've heard its competes easily with $10k amps I can believe it. To me this amp hits my point of diminishing returns. To get a noticeable in my improvement in my opinion you need to buy a Gryphon Essence or better or something like that. I'm not ready to spend ~20k to get a ~10% jump over the $6k. If this amp is in reach and you been wondering, just buy it.”
“I'd give it 10 Stars if I could! Matched with my P6 preamp and a pair of GoldenEar Triton Ones. My 2250 v2 was a good amp, but I never thought it had the power the Tritons needed as the speakers seemed to be volume yawning, so I stepped up to the JC-5 and have been rewarded at every level of measure. Even the bass sounds better, flatter and more natural. Bluesound Node 2i streaming on Qobuz sound improved as well, more precise and faster. The Tritons gave a great sound stage with voice and high Frequency coming from the center 3D type effect, but now with reference material I'm hearing more details than ever before! I did need help getting it properly setup in the cabinet. If you have an amp stand to set it on to make connections with first that will greatly help! Thanks RM! Also you may need to alter the back panel for clearance as this is a BIG amplifier. Even watching television or movies (Class A?) is CRAZY with the clarity like the sound is actually in the room and not being emitted from the system. No heat issues at all! I also like the 12v trigger has the same connection as the P6! Thanks Parasound Quality! From a budget standpoint I've always slowly upgraded pieces and squirreled away cash to get the next wishlist item. Right now I have zero desire to do that and will just ENJOY as is for at least the foreseeable future. I'm finding now that the source material is more critical to find the best and enjoy than changing the system components! Oppo CD/files vs. streaming. By far the BEST stereo I've ever owned!
Then there is the Audio Advisor experience! DO NOT click your mouse to buy this Amplifier! Call them up, tell them what you have, what you want and listen to them explain in expert detail what you're getting yourself into! Their knowledge was a key selling point to assure me of my purchase! I only buy my audio gear from them! Thank you!”
“Upgraded fron A21. The piano attack sound from my Dynaudio C2 is now truly realistic. Bass is now deeper and more punch than that of A21. Really happy with this purchase.”
“I was amazed when this amp arrived via Fed Ex. The delivery guy brought it down the steps on a hand truck and left it on the front deck. Smart man. The package was 90+ lbs. I used my hand truck to bring it in the house and set it where the unpacking was going to happen. Being a little past my prime I found this 73 lb amp to be quite heavy. Anyway my advice would be to locate where it is going to go, a place that allows access to the back, room to dissipate heat and put it there. The back panel is well laid out. I did notice that this amp seemed to heat up more when playing music at very low volumes than when playing music at what I consider a normal listening volume. I have a pair of older 6 ohm Maggies. This amp is more than capable of driving these speakers to a VERY loud volume with no sense of clipping or strain. Much louder then I normally listen. There is no mechanical noise coming from the amp. This amp has a very clean, almost too clean sound quality. My Heathkit AA1800 was a little more musical but had a mechanical hum from the transformer. Contrary to some reviews this JC 5 amp did require about 4-5 hours of use to settle in.”
“After switching from a class D amp with similar power output, I have been knocked out by the sonic performance of the JC5. The build quality is amazing as well. This is one of those components worthy of becoming a family heirloom!”
“I listened to some very expensive amplifiers costing up to 5 times the price of the JC-5, it's ability to produce a 3 dimensional sound stage with attack, sustain and decay is nothing short of stunning! Timbral accuracy and imaging are superb.This amplifier is worth every penny.”
