Kyomi Audio, I see that you will be demonstrating at Axpona later this month with CAT electronics, very nice. Any chance you will also have some Jadis amps at the show?
Also when you get a chance please see my 3/28 post asking about bass capabilities of the JA30. Know you must be busy preparing for the show, best of luck with your room!!
butler, sorry for this very late reply. I was so busy with Axpona that I did not really check the thread. We had two rooms and our big room received top 5 from J. Valin and the best cost no object analog setup awards. JA30 MKII have the bass that is better then most SS amps. By better I mean more natural, with more air and greater transparency. They was able to get more then adequate bass out of the two 10in ceramic drivers of Marten Coltrane 3. Several SS amps that I tried failed to do so. "Bloated" would be the last word that would come to my mind. Also, KT150 have the best bass of all tubes that I have ever heard which certainly helps.
Thanks Kyomi, figured you were busy, glad that your room did so well. I have a few more questions, mostly about impedance matching with the preamp when I make the decision which one I'm going with. I'll give you a call before hopping on a plane to Chicago.
For your information the the output transformers are not all gauranteed for life. I have a 20 year old Defy DA 30 with a bad transformer and not only is it not covered they do not even have a replacement for it. Jadis will, however, be happy to sell me 2 current transformers for a paltry $2000.00 CAD. My amp will now become a pretty boat anchor! BTW, my amp is the same as a I-35... different transfo though!
veriwide100...after twenty (20) years I think the amps have given great service if they have had no other issues in the past! To say they are boat anchors simply because they now need to have new transformers seems a little harsh. BTW, I would be happy to take the boat anchors off your hands.
Well I made the trip to Chicago as I said I was going to do. I took my older JA 30's and my Living Voice speakers to really hear the difference.
After spending an hour in Chicago traffic I finally made it to George's Salon. George was listening to his new Gamut RS7 speakers driven by the Gamut SS monoblocks and they sounded splendid.
We moved the LV into place and warmed the Jadis JA30ll and rolled the que. These amps. are in another league. Gone is the fatter midbass/bass and replaced with a tighter and more tuneful extended bass. Midrange is still full and faster and the top end more open and extended. On my speakers the bass tightened significantly as the speakers lit up with the power. The amp. played with precision and sounded like it was in control top to bottom. As it turned out I ordered a pair and await their arrival.
On the way home George called and said the Gamut speakers that he admires also took a liking to the Jadis amps. I did not get to hear them on the Gamuts but George said it is love at first listen and these speakers are more like 88 DB into 4 ohms and they show plenty of power.
For the money it appears these are a no-brainer and will be able to drive a lot of speakers at their disposal. I can't wait to get mine and anticipate this will be my mid-power amp. of a lifetime.
gwalt, good to hear that you thought highly of the new Jadis amps. I am going to Newport on Friday and hopefully someone there will have a pair on demo. I'm sure they must be superb and will be on my short list.
gwalt, glad you made it up to see George and even more so that you verified what I hoped this amp would bring to the party, especially in terms of bass capabilities. Does this mean you are a KT-150 advocate now? At any rate, congrats👍! I hope to be following in your footsteps very soon......
I only heard the amp. with the KT150's but it was sure good. The amp. has strap changes internally for the other tubes so time will tell. One thing to remember is that none of the listening involved "cooked" gear and I personally find that very important with tubes and transformers. I could hear the amps. getting better and better as time went by and they had a much blacker background.....they are quieter for sure. George did not have them cooked when I got there but that was Ok because mine were not either. At any rate they were in way more control than the older amps. and the bass had slam and control which my older ones did not have. My older ones never got cooked with the time I was there but I am certain it would not have mattered. So to answer your question I am not sure I am in love with the KT150's as much as the improvements to the amp. itself with the smaller tubes? I still have to investigate the answer. I have no doubt the smaller output tubes will be magical in it also as I did note the caps. were a tad larger and I believe the outside of the transformers might have been a tad larger also. Hope this helps.
Excellent gwalt, appreciate your input on the new amp and in comparison with your older version. Makes me anxious to get up the Windy City for an audition!! Will be interesting to see where you end up eventually as far as tubes, I imagine that you, like most of us, will experiment. Please keep us posted as you go with the new amp.
How soon before it arrives from France and gets to you? I think I remember someone saying they are usually delivered on a pallet to ensure safe transport. Also, don’t know if you care but you can order them with silver instead of gold face plates, which I kind of like from the pics I’ve seen. Also, did George happen to mention that they can be spec’d with balanced inputs, I think I read that Jadis can do such for all their amps, which I would prefer as my current pre (and the one I’m looking at as replacement) works best via balanced connection.
butler, the usual lead time is 6-8 weeks since they are all built per order. They do come on a pallet.
I personally like KT150 so much that I would not even care to experiment. Especially after we had new CAT JL7 amps at AXPONA with the similar stunning results. As you probably know, Ken Stevens would not have bothered otherwise. I find them even better then the original Genalex KT88 that I used to have on several occasions. As far as balanced inputs, I would highly recommend pairing JA30 MKii with a Jadis pre or the CAT SL1- both single ended. The synergy is truly magical. Let me know when you would like to visit, I would be happy to demo the amps for you.
George, not sure how much the Cat pre is, but I really like the Audio Research REF 6 which I've auditioned a couple of times. Of course, don't know if/how ARC & Jadis get along with each other, was thinking about posting that question here (guess I just did). Otherwise, just started reading about the newer Jadis PRE1, which is in my price range......any comments on this one?
Hi gwalt, I visited Axpona in April this year and the Jadis room was one of the very best I heard at that show. Music yes, hifi no. Its presentation was natural and emotionally engaging. Clearly the Jadis impressed you as well. Do you find it as natural and realistic as your Border Patrol amplifiers during this audition? Charles,
Butler, Audio research Ref 6 is $14000, if I am not mistaken. The compatible preamp in Jadis line would be JPS2 for $14900 which is basically a line stage version of the venerable JP80 with an extra CD input tube. CAT SL1 Renaissance line stage is $9990 and $11990 with phono that beats any Audio Research stand alone phono stage. Power supply of Audio Research does not hold a chance against massive outboard power supplies of Jadis and CAT. You might have to go to the Ref Anniversary and pay a fortune for it. And then there is sound..........ARC has a totally different sound philosophy - I will have to hear it to have an opinion about the synergy with JA30. PRE1 was designed for use with PA100 amp and is not in the level of JPS2 or CAT. I will have to find out about silver plates.
Charles, Jadis room was ours. I am glad you enjoyed it as much as we did! Music vs Hi Fi is a battle we fight all the time:)
Thanks George, lots to think about. I of course would want the best synergy....when I get up there to audition the Jadis amp I assume I would be able to see/hear both the Jadis and Cat pre's, so that would be very beneficial. Maybe even discuss a package deal<-:)
By the way as to the silver faceplates, I emailed Jadis directly a few months ago after I saw the pics I referenced earlier, they responded that indeed the amps & pre's can be ordered that way. I think I like the cleaner look of silver, but we all have our own preferences.
George, great to hear that the CAT preamp plays nice with the Jadis amps....I LOVE my current CAT preamp. BTW, have you tried rolling in tubes into yours....a BIG step-up in sound can be had; and for little money. At the Newport show yesterday, there was only the Jadis integrated playing wth Spendor’s. So, not that great an exhibit, but still a nice intro to the line.
Daveyf, which CAT do you have? And yes, Of course I rolled tubes. I even convinced Ken that some of the NOS improve the sound:) As great as Jadis integrateds are, you really need to hear the mono blocks to get a real taste.
Hello George, Congratulations, you did an excellent job with yourJadis system at Axpona I'm a very happy user and admirer of SET amplification after a number of years owning push pull(PP) tube amplifiers. The Jadis based on what I've heard would be my choice if I were to venture back into PP amplifiers. It effectively conveyed the emotion of music. This is what good SET ampliifiers do so exquisitely. Charles,
George, I own a modified SL1 Signature with NOS Mullards and GE NOS long plates. Agreed that the Jadis mono blocks are a lot better than the integrateds, but for some reason that was what was being demo'ed.
These new amps. seem to have a lot of the sonic characteristics of a good SET design with more power and control. My comparison was only based on my LV speakers with the older amps. against the newer ones.
I will have a very accurate understanding of the differences between the Border Patrol and the Jadis when the new Jadis arrives and I can do a side by side with the 8WPC then I will have a very accurate description response.
George and I did experiment with the new 300B Luxman from Japan ($17-18K) on the LV and I much preferred the Jadis's power and control on that speaker and it is an easy load of 94 into 6 ohms. I suspect on your speakers you would find the Jadis exceptional with more extension and control while retaining the magic. Just a guess of course but these new amps. are for real and will drive some real world speakers. Again the 300B was not fully cooked but it just sounded less dynamic and in control as you would expect.
I will report back when the amps. arrive and I can make a comparison.
Hi gwalt, Thanks for your comments and listening impressions. When Srajan Ebaen of 6 Moons reviewed the LV speakers he was quite impressed with them. He did note however that they were a bit harder to drive than their stated specifications would suggest. He believes they are at their best with more power than a 300b SET amplifier provides so your findings support that point.
My speakers are an easier load (14 ohms, minimum 10 ohms ) and they thrive with my 300b amplifier. I also have a 40 watt and 100 watt PP amplifiers as well but the SET sounds better than both on my speakers. You and I hear the same special qualities from the Jadis that's for sure. I'm really looking forward to reading your insightful thoughts regarding the Jadis once you've placed it in your system. I suspect that you're going to derive immense enjoyment from this amplifier. Charles,
@butler Thanks for posting that link that article looked fascinating and great pics I agree Jadis looks stunning with silver faceplates! Do you know if there is an english translation of that article? There seems to be so little written about Jadis in the press would love to read it. Thanks!
Thanks jond, agree that the silver really makes it look kinda chic & cool at the same time…….you are obviously a man of good taste. I agree that Jadis does not appear often in the press though I think there is a resurgence of interest in the past few years now that they again have a stable distribution home in North America…...hopefully we shall see more written reviews.
Try as I might, could not find a translation for the German article. Though for what it’s worth, I did google an german-to-english translation for the final summary paragraph…..it does not appear to be a great translation, but here it is: `Great cinema with Tubes. Jadis plays wonderfully with the possibilities of the glass flask and dares a little "sound". The final stage is speaker intended degree of phonetic with normal efficiency that phono stage is even a kind of bargain'.
Kyomi Audio….Hi George, I’ve been looking for reviews of that Jadis JPS2 preamp you mentioned as a mate to the JA30 MK2. Not many newer comments, but some of the older articles suggested that it is great with classical music but not so much for rock, i.e., slower bass and a bit dark on top, so less able to deliver the taut rhythms common to rock and pop was biggest concern. Can you provide any details as to the last time this pre was updated, and whether Jean-Christophe Calmettes was part of that update? As with many Jadis products, it’s hard to know with much clarity when (and to what extent) some of the decades-old products have been improved upon through time………except for a change from silver-ish to blue caps, they look very similar through the years.
As always, thanks for taking the time to provide your input, and know that my listening preferences are for rock/blues first and foremost (with jazz, acoustical, pop, etc coming after, and classical coming in last).
butler, all Jadis pieces get silent updates from time to time that improve upon the original design. That would apply to JP80/JPS2 as well. We have used those preamplifiers in variety of full range systems playing heavy rock material with terrific results. Having said that, you might prefer the CAT for rock - it would give you more slam and macro dynamics that you mention In fact, it beats 99% of solid state and ALL tube preamps in that department. It is also cheaper then JPS2 by a cool 5K in line stage only version. When you come to visit, you will have the opportunity to compare several preamps and make your own conclusions. If you wish to talk about it more, please do not hesitate to call me.
I'm familiar with the CAT preamplifier in various iterations as a couple of friends had them through several generations. It's a very good product and has earned a well deserved reputation. Yet I suspect that the Jadis JPS2 is something very special and particularly with a Jadis amplifier. Butler I look forward to reading your auditioning lmpressions. Charles,
Thanks George and Charles.......I actually hope the Jadis pre works for me when all is said and done. What the heck, might be nice to have a matching amp/preamp combination for once, certainly not too shabby looks-wise for sure. Like gwalt, I will keep everyone posted as it goes.
By the way George, do you recall which pre was used for gwalt's audition of the JA30 amp?
Hi @gwalt.....just checking in to see if you ever received your MkII amps, and whether you ordered the traditional gold or newer silver finish. Please provide us with an update when you get a chance, really interested in how it is going.....thanks!
I am the owner of Jadis gear for many years. In my opinion the new iteration of monoblocks based on KT150 tubes should be compared between other monoblocks with the same tube (JA30MKII vs. JA80MKII vs. JA200MKII) and then judged which one sounds best. The KT150 tube itself affect sound to such degree that comparison to older Jadis model is not fair.
I just went on here for the first time in ages. I just heard today from George at Kyomi that my new Silver JA30ll amps. shipped today from France. This is just shy of 3 months from when I ordered them. George told me that it was reported from Jadis the Silver will take longer to delivery and that is all I know. How long it takes for the Gold I could not answer but I liked the silver in my system so that is what I wanted. Thanks Butler for the tip they even offered them.
As far as the comment from Mill below I don't disagree with you on the KT150 tube vs. the original however I suspect the power will dictate in the long run. Once I get the amps. I will report back however there is break in involved and a slight mod. inside to use the smaller tubes. That will take me awhile to get to that test. In addition, my old amps. are gone so memory is all I will have but I still want to know myself. I will have more to report in the upcoming weeks ahead. I am making some other changes as I get closer to retirement.
Excellent gwalt, can't wait to hear how they fit into your system, both the sound and silver finish........hope you will update your system page with pics when you get the time. I believe the plates are made in Germany, may be still a special type of order so that might be why it took a bit longer. Sounds like you sold your amps already, good for you!
I'm trying to get up to see George soon, too many trips on my schedule, not enough time......
I will post all of my system updates when I get everything finalized. There are several and I am anxious to get the amps. here for sure. None of my changes are without careful consideration and audition...most of that being in Chicago but not all. Everyone has different tastes including me but I did find George has a great set of ears for live music. Keep in mind he is a world renowned concert pianist and that certainly does not hurt the reality of listening. Also my updates caused some sales to keep the WAF factor in tact. More on this later.
I have an update on the Jadis JA30ll. I finally got delivery of my JA30ll with silver plates. The amp. arrived at the 90 day mark from order date. This was a bit frustrating since I started selling some gear I am moving away from and I was without music for awhile.
I have done a system re-configuration for space reasons and retirement approaching. I had ordered and now received the Gamut d3i preamp for the JA30ll to drive my new Gamut R7Si speakers along with the LV OBX-RW's. The RS7i is a very full range speaker and go down to 22hz with outstanding bass definition. The Jadis drives them easily.
My 300B Border Patrol amp. has been sold along with my VAC preamp. I ordered the Gamut preamp. when I heard a shoot-out of four preamps. with the Jadis amp. one of which was the VAC. The Gamut is a fabulous preamp. for the money and sounds more like it has tubes than SS but then you get that great bass weight and tone with a very relaxed presentation. It has a lot of refinement with terrific holographic imaging. If you are in the market for a preamp. check this one out as it is the real deal and you simply leave it on all the time with the high quality MOS-FETs.
The BP 300B was a very special amplifier but so is the JA30ll with the KT150 tubes on the Gamut speakers and I am sure many others. I changed the amp. to the 4 ohm strap. and I believe that is where it needs to be with these speakers. Believe it or not I was driving the Gamut speakers at lower volumes with the 300B amp. and it performed quite nicely on the 4 ohm tap. with bass extension you simply would not believe. However, the Jadis is a new ball game with this preamp. and speakers. The KT150 tube has a lot of meat on the bone over a 300B tube amp. and my BP was one of the best. All of the 300B tubes were very microphonic on my horn speakers and I tried the best. The 45 was the better fit with the horns for my taste.
I am still in break-in mode but this system so far is making me very thrilled and I do not regret my decision for the long haul. I have about 200 hours on the new components and it needs more time but it just sounds so right. I will be doing a lot of changes on my system page when time permits.
Hello Gwalt, Congratulations with your new Jadis amplifier and recent audio system changes. The key to long term contentment is trusting what you hear and knowing what you ultimately want. I suspect that this new system direction will keep you happy for many blissful years. I thoroughly enjoy my 300b SET based system but I could certainly be very pleased with the Jadis amplifier based on my hearing them earlier this year. Many roads lead to Rome. No doubt that your new system sounds fantastic. Charles,
Hi gwalt, glad your wait for all the new gear is finally over and you are enjoying musical bliss once again. Please keep us posted as it goes, and thanks for the tip on that GamuT pre..........can't wait to audition it with the ja30, could be just the combo I've been looking for. And congrats on being a trailblazer of sorts for the Jadis amp, first review of any sort I've ever seen on the MKII edition.....
Thanks for the words of encouragement. As they say so far so good.
It was a long thought process to make this switch but this combination won me over and my wire works perfect as I thought it would. Something went astray with the emotion of my old system when I had the VAC preamp. upgraded to SE status? It was a mistake for me to do so in my case. In addition, the RS7i speakers stole my heart driven by these pieces. They have bass clarity with this front end like no other I have heard before and still have tube glow and bloom in the path with all the right mix up the spectrum. I also like the fact this preamp. needs no warm-up and is meant to be left on and has a dedicated CD balanced output that by-passes the circuit.
I would never say this amp. is better than an SET designed amp. or that the KT150 is better than a 300B as it all depends on the mate...a lot like a marriage and what moves one-self with emotion. However as Charlesdad heard (and I trust he knows his emotions) at Axponia and maybe others is that the Jadis JA 30ll has some serious heart with the music and I agree this system will provide me a happy trail for a long time to come. I am still in the break-in phase with no fuse upgrades etc. and I have to fine tune the position of the speakers in the room.
I have yet to hear the LV either with these but it will be more fun to come.
"It all depends on the mate " Absolute words of wisdom if there ever were any. This is why I reject the notion of "the best " when it comes to audio components, there are simply too many variables and circumstances involved. One could certainly say "the best " for me under specific and individual situations but not as a universal decree.
Gwalt it seems that once you decided that the Gamut speakers were ideal for your needs you had to find the right amplifier to complete the match. I can understand that although the 300b Border Patrol amplifiers are very fine and worthy , The Jadis amplifier was the better mate for the speaker chosen. This makes perfect sense as this was determined through actual listening.
I could tell during my listening to the Jadis based system that it had that genuine ability to connect the music on a deep emotional and involving level (qualities that drew me to my 300b SET). Gwalt I'm very curious and interested in how the Jadis mates with your Living Voice speakers. I suspect very well. Charles,
Everything you said above comes from your years of experience in audio and I could not agree more.
I did get to hear the LV in Chicago the first time I was there with the JA 30ll but not with this preamp. so I will let you know when I get there. I like the JA30ll better mated with the Gamut d3i than I did the $28K Jadis, VAC Signature Mkll SE, MBL, Esoteric and one more I can not recall.
Something to do with the mating together I am sure but both seem special together.
It is has been a long time since I posted on the Jadis JA Mk.ll amp. with KT150 tubes. I have tried the telefunken 12au7/12ax7 for driver/input tubes and they are highly dynamic but not as musical as the Mullard 12au7/Siemens 12ax7 tubes which I have settled on. Also the KT 150 tubes take a long time to burn in like maybe 200 hours.
I have now concluded the Gamut d3i preamp./Jadis JA 30 Mkll. amp combination. is staying here long term. I especially like the fact the Gamut is meant to leave on forever with no warm up. The Jadis takes a bit of warm up to show their tremendous magic they have due to the massive transformers reaching internal thermal temp.
I have tried the amp. on my Living Voice OBX-RW and Gamut Rs7i [89 DB] speakers and in my room of 15X20 it is no challenge for the amp. to control the speakers. I also think it is the best bass I have had in my room but remains especially musical/magical top to bottom. I did re-strap the amp. to 4 ohm for the Gamut speakers and maybe noticed more control of the drivers with a slight loss of air and it has no issues on the 8 ohm tap. The amp. sounds more powerful than you can imagine and once fully warmed up a piano tone is shockingly real and never on the edge as in some systems I have heard. The Gamut speakers go down to 22 hz and these amps. have tremendous grip on the bass.
The only rolling in this amp. is with driver/input tubes and it does work for flavor but I have not converted the amp. to lower voltage for the many others it will play. At this point I have no desire to as the KT150's are very good on this amp.
In conclusion, this amp. got rid of the bit of fatness in the old amp. and it becomes much closer to neutral with superior quietness and "you are there" sound staging front to back.
This Jadis amp. certainly belongs on the list of must audition Push Pull Class A amplifiers if you are in the market. I would also highly put the Gamut on that list for a SS preamp. that sounds as natural as tubes and more so than some tube preamps. I have owned.
In the end, the Jadis sheer beauty, musical magic, and simplicity with tubes is a blessing for the asking price. I love it.
Thanks for the update, gwalt. It is nice to read about a purchase in this hobby that gives one a smile. The Jadis JA30Mk2 seemed to me to be the very sweet spot of their line, which is why I started this thread. Most times, the medium powered tube amp is the one to go for, IME. If one can mate the speakers to the medium powered amp, then I believe this is the best possible solution. I will try and source one for an audition.
Hi Gwalt, Context is everything. Knowing how pleased you were with your Border Patrol amplifiers, to be this happy with the Jadis says quite a bit. I believe that you'll enjoy your current system for many satisfying years. Interesting that you prefer the Gamut preamplifier to the Jadis sibling, but you do have to trust your own ears. Charles
The amp. is special for sure and so is the Gamut preamp as a mate. I also heard the preamp.with the Korneff 45 and Border Patrol 300B. The D3i sounds very relaxed and as natural as tubes. I have owned the EAR 858, VAC Signature SE, and CJ GAT and this one is just more musically inclined. Gamut is not well known in the states but I encourage you to check them out.
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