Greetings, a pleasure to join this thread for the Job 225, a fine piece of audio gear that I'm enjoying in my system. I purchased not long after the 6moons review was published, and a couple of email exchanges with Srajan wherein he admitted liking the Job to the point that he was comfortable having it replace the ModWright KWA100SE in his audio array.
Soon after receiving the Job I began to feel that if it could sound so very fine with the somewhat less-than compelling stock parts, just how good could it sound with upgrades? I took advantage of a sale Sonic Craft was having at the time and sent the Job to them to have binding posts, ac inlet, and input jacks all professionally replaced with substantially better Furutech parts. After getting the Job back I replaced the fuse with a HiFi Tuning, swapped in a Triode Wire Labs 8+ power cord, and set the Job up on Herbie's Tenderfeet. I'm not a "measurement" guy, and I don't torment myself analyzing specific sonic attributes/faults, it's pretty much "does it sound better to my ears?" The upgrades definitely helped the Job sound even "better" to my ears.
So, what's next? With the Job providing such a remarkably cost-effective and sonically superior platform, I don't see any point in NOT attempting some additional parts upgrades. The next obvious area to focus on would be caps/resistors. The Goldmund/Job designers have leveraged maximum performance from their chosen parts, but again, what might the performance "ceiling" be with carefully considered parts from the likes of Rike, Rel-Cap, Audyn, Obbligato, Munforf, etc.?
I've already traded emails with Chris J. at Parts Connexion, and he expressed willingness to have me send in the Job for evaluation of a further upgrade path. I'm seriously considering doing so, as I don't possess the expertise to tackle such an undertaking myself, and have enough respect for the Job's basic design that I'm disinclined to just "throw darts" to see what sticks. It'd be helpful to me to hear from any other Job owners/fans who have considered these sorts of upgrade and may have arrived at some solid conclusions. Thanks. |
452 Mcintosh amp vs Job 225. Can the 225 run with the 452? |
I don't recommend the Job 225 for the Apogee Centaur. Maybe the mono blocks by years end. |
Anyone used this on Quad 57's? |
Does anyone have an opinion whether the Job will properly drive my Apogee Centaur Majors? I've read in another audio site that they may not be up to the task. |
Hi Genjamon,
I am so happy that you've found the right combination. I appreciate the kind words and hope you enjoy your system for years to come. I love my Job and will never be without it. I even look forward to the upcoming mono blocks at the end of the year (hopefully). |
I agree with Genjam about the AM fuse as it changes the whole landscape of the Job's presentation. |
I wanted to comment on the leanness issue. My Job has been on the lean side in my system a good bit in the past. My speakers have some accentuated upper mids, which do things I really like in that region, but also require careful electronics and cabling pairing. When I upgraded to the Lampizator in January, I have never since felt the sound was lean again, but it certainly wasn't lush. And with some cables and preamp pairings, the sound was tilted away from neutral toward higher frequencies and reducing presence in the lower mid and upper bass power region. Again, my speakers are the main culprit there.
I recently finally splurged on the Audio Magic super fuse cited over on audioshark by Joe. This fuse transformed the character of the Job in my system. Much more instrumental tone and lushness. I no longer need cables and a tube preamp that were balancing the character of the Job.
My main point is that it's always about system matching. I've been one of those who had heard leanness with the Job, and I almost gave up and moved on. But I stuck it out and found changing other aspects of my system and the fuse upgrade have made it a keeper for sure. |
OK, nothing wrong with that!
Enjoy the window shopping. |
W,
Just looking :)
Will get the Music Reference 200 mk2 for sure to run in the winter time. |
Glory,
U looking to change amps again??? |
DJ,
We all move on down the road, yes?
Looking at the Clayton 100 amps but I don't need a humming amp! Also the Maker amp up on the 'Gon is a nice buy.
Gropher is unloading. Say G what is on the hit list now? |
Just snagged a Job 225 off ebay for $1200. I'm hoping I won't be disappointed...wanted to see what all the fuss is about? Currently have a Exposure 2010s2 which I really enjoy.... Some amps that have come and gone: Hegel 100, April Stello AI 500, Flying Mole, Virtue Sensation M901, Nad 356 Bee, Rega Brio R, Nad D750, Marantz 8004...... |
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The Job is not lean...if one detects any leanness, then it is likely an up stream component. It is however very transparent.
Interesting how some people have opinions about a product that they have never heard and also like to provide the (abbreviated) findings of others in a (lame) attempt to validate some preconceived notion or agenda. Go figure.
Cheers - Grk ; ) |
I agree with Glory! The JOB is NOT lean! |
" he preferred a preamp that made up for the Jobs lean character with something that augmented the lower registers or bought the tops down."
The Job doesn't have a lean character !! I have no pre amp and no leanness going on. |
04-09-14: Klh007 The JOB 225 had sound stage and transparency/detail, at the expense of tone sounding leaner than the Veritas. This tonal balance has been stated by more than just by you Klh007, it was a trait that devilboy also heard when he used the Lightspeed Attenuator passive pre with it. As the Lightspeed is like a direct connection from source to poweramp, he preferred a preamp that made up for the Jobs lean character with something that augmented the lower registers or bought the tops down. Cheers George |
Joe, I've followed the thread on AS, and with the exposure you have to the absolute best gear available, you have always championed the JOB 225. I hope to hear the same unit with many more hours on it soon, I want it to be the sleeper amp that has Goldmund sonics at Rotel pricing. |
The Job is an amazing amp. Clear, articulate and three dimensional in spades with a sweet voice. Maybe the "leanness" that you think you heard was just before the initial break in. The amp is so clear and natural that some may take it as a little lean at first, but it is far from that. Match the Job with a fairly benign load (preferably greater than 3 ohm) speaker, sit back and enjoy the glorious sound unfolding in front of you. Horn type speakers are absolutely stunning on the Job. You would not recognize my Klipsch Cornwall III's with this little amp. Absolutly wonderful. No matter what I hooked up to the Job (TAD CR-1, Sonus Faber Evolutions, Revel Studio2, Nola Grand Micro Reference, Klipsch Cornwall III, or inexpensive Pioneer monitors), they all sound great! |
Weight power/authority and density comes with the right AC cables for your system. Also the AM super fuse gives the amp a richer fuller sound. |
When I heard the JOB 225, it had no warm up and probably wasn't broken in enough. It had enough power to drive the 3.7s comfortably, not as much grip and drive in the bass as the Veritas. In this green condition, the JOB 225 had sound stage and transparency/detail, at the expense of tone sounding leaner than the Veritas. I hope to hear it again after some more burn in. So much has been written about the amp including a huge thread at AudioShark, and leanness is a trait no one attributes to the 225, so my first take must have been an anomaly, I look forward to auditioning it again. |
I will mod it. Mono blocks 2x the price? |
G,
You still plan on modding the Job, or will you wait for the monoblocs (year end)? |
Yes Devil I was taken back by a HE AC cable the the little guy. He now sounds like a $20K amp.
Got him up on Sistrum Sp-1 stands. No noise from him no not even a peep. |
Sebna, My Job currently rests on brass points so I cannot tell if it wobbles but don't remember it ever doing that when I took it out of the box. Regarding the buzz, yes my Job makes a VERY faint buzzing but it's heard only when I literally put my ear on the faceplate. Only transformer hum, not to worry.
Glory, LOL on the "Sweetpee". I'm sure that Heritage cord takes your 225 to the next level. I know I heard a wonderful improvement when going to my Synergistic Element Tungsten. |
No buzz. No sound. No distortion. No color.
Listen the Sweetcord is a good cable but I will tell you putting a Stage. 3 or better yet a Dynamic Design Heritage AC cable on it will make you very happy. You can get the DD Heritage for $900.00 as I did and it transformed the amp into a liquid - full images and dynamic sounding amp that goes way beyond the Sweetpee cable. Are you listening to me boys and girls??
$900.00 and your little Job 225 will eat those big A$$ $20K amps :) |
Hi Guys,
Two quick questions about JOB.
1. Is your JOB straight? My Wobbles on 3 feet on level surface (it does not wobble but when you press on one of corners it will transfer the mass indicating that it is not straight and that one feet is slightly hanging in air).
Could you try yours and let me know?
2. When I am very close to (5-10cm or 2-4 inches) I can hear a faint but present buzzing or vibration. When I put my ear against the top cover of it it becomes very apparent. I suspect it is a transformer inside but I cannot really tell as I am not an expert.
Could you bring you ear to the top cover and tell me if you hear anything? (when music is not playing ofc.
Finally my job had 0 run so far so I dont know if I will hear any buzzing through the speakers or not when in operation.
Cheers,
seb |
Hate to nitpick but the Audio Magic Liquid Nano fuse was replaced by the Super Fuse last year. I have the Super Fuse and it is very good. One wonders if there will ever be anyone willing to roll up his sleeves and evaluate the best four or five aftermarket fuses...hmmmm |
You guys might want to check this out:
http://www.10audio.com/audio-horizons_platinum-ref-fuses.htm
It's the new fuses from Audio Horizons. Expensive, but supposed to be outstanding. I know everything is system-dependant but supposedly better than the Liquid Nano (which Joeinid likes so much). Joe, you may want to look into this fuse as well!
I replaced the stock fuses in my Metrum DAC and Job 225 with Synergistic's fuses and the improvement was exceptional. Lower noise floor,more expansive soundstage (wide and depth), more detail, etc.
My only regret is I didn't to it sooner. |
Glory, the consensus is that SR Quantum fuse and the AudioMagice liquid Nano fuses give the biggest impact. |
AM fuse in. Those with Job amps must change out fuse :)
A very nice change for the better. |
Drill holes for the internal wire to run outside the unit and use the cheap speaker posts as a clamp for the ribbons/wire. |
Wow Gary, let us know what the mods bring! How do you clamp down the silver ribbon wire to the Stage 3 wire?
D-Boy, those are not my impression, rather I relay what i heard. I have not yet heard the Job, but know the quality. I could have gooten a loaner unit this week, but my system is all packed up waiting on a house move. |
Glory,
So glad that you are happy. I'd love your feedback on the planned mods. This little Job is amazing, and for the money, stellar! Thank you for validating my findings. I love mine. |
The Bel Canto is a better amp in that it separates the performers in their own space. Dead quiet and runs cool. There is something about mono blocks that does a better JOB than a stereo amp. Need two Jobs now.
The Synergistic fuse took the BC amps to a much more realist sounding amp. |
Glory, how do the BelCanto M500's compare to the Job? |
I'd be very interested to know how the AM fuse works out. Please keep us posted... |
Have the Job up and running on some pioneer/TAD S-2Ex speakers. AM fuse coming.
I am shell shocked at what this guy can do. I must say I only bought because Joe has similar speakers and his praise of the Job driving his speakers drove me to buy. He is right!! Killer amp and sounds like a $10K AMP.
Here is what I am going to do to this little guy. Install Stage 3 silver wire after removing the cheap speaker binding posts. Then clamp down my SilverSmith Silver ribbon speaker cables to the Stage 3 wire. Hardwire the Sweetpee AC cable. Ground the transformer to Sistrum points. Dampen all areas that need it. Remove LED light. Any other ideas??
This amp is very powerful. Drives my speaker with authority. Killer bass and soundstage. SS almost like a tube amp. Quiet no noise amp. No distortion.
What a find!!
How to run two amps on my speakers? One on low one on high |
Devilboy,
My passive preamp should be home this week and the power supply next week.
Here is the website for the volume control:
www.aumacoustics.com/volumecontrol.html
The power supply is a Teddy Pardo Dual 12 - 2x12V 1A Power Supply
Richard Becker from Aum Acoustics built my passive.
richard@aumacoustics.com
He's a super nice guy. |
Devilboy thank you for letting me know about RCAs. The info helped me to get the right length of RCAs (hopefully). |
Wisnon, I assume your impressions of the Sweetcord were compared to the stock power cord? Have you tried any other cords on the 225 and if so, which? |
Sweetcord email feedback I got:
J. stopped by today to audition his new Sweetcord powering the JOB 225 he let me borrow. Words seldom fail me, but describing the dramatic improvement rendered by one Sweetcord would be impossible. I can simply describe the experience as " OMG" and assume you catch my drift. Absolutely remarkable - the best I've ever heard, and by a wide margin. Wow! |
Sebna, good for you about the Job. I hope it gives you as much enjoyment and satisfaction as it does me!
The RCA inputs are located as follows: Both RCA inputs are directly beneath the speaker binding posts. If you are looking at the front faceplate of the Job, the left input is located all the way to the left edge of the amp, as I said, underneath the speaker binding posts. The right input (and speaker binding posts), are not on the edge but about 3-4 inches in FROM the right edge. The power cord goes in towards the right edge of the amp. Hope that helps.
My speakers in my room with this amp benefited from warmer cables. The Job doesn't have the negatives usually associated with SS amps (bright, edgy highs, so-so midrange), but in my system, every little bit helps. |
Thanks Devliboy,
Just got confirmation that it was shipped to me today. Very good. Hopefully I should have it by Friday! Yay.
Guys I am trying to figure it out where are the RCA inputs on the Job - I cannot see them on any of the photos due to angles.
Can you tell me on which side and how close to the edge are they (I need to figure out the length of RCAs that I need).
Should I look for warm cables for job or neutral and detailed (and transparent) will be ok or am I risking getting into bright / harsh areas? (my speakers are on the warm side of things).
Thanks again,
seb |
Sebna, congratulations on your purchase. Yes the Job accepts spades. However, I couldn't get my Audioquest bananas on the factory binding posts so my friend replaced them with Cardas binding posts. FWIW. |
Could not help myself and ordered my very own job.
Does job accepts spades? |
Should be another 2-4 weeks before it all comes together. Sorry for the silence, I've been enjoying my system. :) |
Haven't heard from you in a while Joe. Did you get that passive yet? |
When you go to his site, click "products" |
