Gwalt, I met Ken Steven’s a few years ago at CES and he was using his preamplifier and mono blocks driving the Wilson Sasha. Those are no doubt impressive power amplifiers. I’m quite familiar with his CAT preamp as two friends of mine had them at one time.
Gwalt and Daveyf I have no doubt that the Jadis would sound marvelous with my Coincident Total Eclipse II speakers with their 14 ohm load. The thing is that I have an amplifier that is superb with these speakers. Believe me, I get the frequent argument for more power. I have both a 100 watt PP tube amplifier and a 40 watt amplifier. The 8 watt Frankenstein SET is better than either.
I suspect that the pure class A Jadis could outperform my PP amplifiers and most likely rival the Coincident Frankenstein MK II. I’ve had this Coincident amp/speaker combination for over 8 years and yet my appreciation continues to grow. Clearly there are other worthy superb amplifier choices besides what I have. Fortunately you only need one superb amplifier😊.
Sometimes you just find what you consider an ideal musical match. The glorious 300b SET does it for me. Certainly the Jadis does it for you Daveyf, and Gwalt the CAT in your case. I believe that it’s fair to say that we are all thrilled with our respective current systems,. Charles
Thanks for the inquiry. Yes I owned the stereo version of their amps......the D200i latest version. I sold it because tubes belong here and SS gear is not as exciting to me. I also heard the speakers with the Gamut 250i monoblocks.......excellent amplifiers but I cannot pull the trigger on any SS amps. and they were more money than I could justify. Something about the beauty of tubes has me hooked.....good tubes that is. They just connect with me way more. The reason I bought the Gamut RS7i speakers is they were very full range and capable of being very dynamic. Coming from horns I found that quality about them.....with correct tonal rendition. The CAT amp. I have now acquired seems to wake this speaker up. CAT is known for its dynamics and drive so I think all will be well. They are also have a holographic soundstage. Excitement abounds in the music with this amp! It was a new demo so not quite broke in and it really is marvelous on these speakers. The Jadis JA80 might have done the trick also but now in retirement the cash flow went south and I know expensive gear will be a hard sell for me when I can't hear anymore ha. Honestly, I bet you the Jadis JA 30ll on your speakers would be a dream come true. Have you ever seriously thought about that? I never met a speaker that did not agree with more quality power. They just were not enough for the Gamuts. That amp. on your speakers might keep you up at night. I assure you it sounds SET like only way more beauty. I have been there.
Charles, have you heard Jadis in your system..I think it would be a great match up with your speakers and would certainly lead to a new romance. The new KT150's are, IME, a much easier tube to live with...:0)
Very interesting find indeed. It is a strange hobby that way. This CAT JL5 amp. is rated at 120 per channel into 8/4 ohms. Does not mean much however with the transformers on this amp. The beauty of it is the first 60 WPC is in Class A and then to AB but all in triode. The tubes are said to be ran at 1/4 rated output. It all happens to be overbuilt as you know. The Jadis is built much that way also. This amp. drives these speakers effortless and dynamic and is very smooth. CAT does not romance like Jadis......just tells things more like it is maybe. No flowers on the first date yet but I can tell it is not broke in either. Does your amps. they put out much heat into your room as your temps. don't vary much like here?
Hi Gwalt, Just curious, have you heard yourspeakers with a Gamut amplifier? A friend of mine heard this brand’s amp/speaker combination and he thought it was very good sounding. C
Gary, the JL5 is a great amp...and like I suspected, and you have now confirmed, well suited to your speakers. As you noted above, it’s all about the mate in this hobby. Get that right, and you have music, get it wrong and you have disappointment. Easier to do the latter, IME. My SF GH’s work superbly with the new Jadis amps...what’s even more amazing, is that I have to actually turn DOWN the volume in comparison to my far more powerful Rowland amp...which puts out only 250 watts/ch! But as we all know, that’s not the only part of the equation, it has to do with the quality of the transformers, the ability of the caps and the headroom of the amp, the typical impedance load at the speakers and of course the speakers in use ( room size).. among other things. So 250 watts/ch vs. 45 watts/ch-- and yet the low powered amp offers far more bass punch, dynamics, volume, imaging ability, and ease of presentation! Interesting isn’t it...and something that I strongly suspect most dealers and a’philes have no clue about!!! Reminds me of a time when I visited a dealer many many moons ago, who was selling the then revolutionary Carver 500 watts/ch ss cube amps...told me they could drive anything. Well yes, but not well, LOL, My 15 watt/ch tube amp obliterated them in an AB...so much so that the dealer assured me that the Carver’s were faulty and he was going to request another pair... Needless to say, i did not buy much gear from this guy.
Thanks for the recommend. The JL5 I have is not broke in but it has startling dynamics, speed and contrast....similar to live music. It is the first time since owning the Gamut speakers that I now understand what I heard when I first heard them and why I purchased them. It is the antithesis of the dead sounding SS camp and or lack of power required. Thanks for the information.
Gary, as great as Ken's amps are, IMO his preamps are actually even better. As you know, Ken made his mark with his preamps, and IMO they are still at the very top of the contender list. Absolutely SOTA. Interestingly, the preamp and the Jadis amps have always matched up well. I can say that my hot rodded/modded SL-1 Sig matches up like a dream with the JA30Mk2. If and when funds allow, go for the CAT Renaissance with Black Paths...as you noticed, your system will take off. In the meantime, happy listening.
When I was in Denver auditioning the JL5 against some other contenders I also heard it with the CAT SL-1 preamp. OMG was that good a pairing to die for. It will be a goal of mine to get one with some options. I have to let Wally the Wallet rest now for awhile.....we will see. This amp. really is a fit for these speakers. As I said it pretty much does it all and gets out of the way for the music and drives most anything with ease. Glad you are enjoying the music. That is what it is all about. As our world continues to turn it will help you through it all.
Gary, great news...I was expecting that you would really like the CAT JL5. I am sure that this amp will be a great match to your Gamut's. Like you said, you match the amp to the speaker...and not the speaker to the amp. CAT is such a great piece of gear...as you know, I am a very BIG fan. Oh, only drawback is now you have to think about the CAT preamp...;0) Daveyf
Davey: I want to be clear the air about me raving about the JA 30ll and then selling them to Davey and now hearing his opinion. I loved the Jadis elegant sound as well and I think you are finding my description as I posted accurate. I sold the amps. with regret but they simply were not enough power for my Gamut RS7i speakers and the marriage broke up.....the mate was my fault but certainly the dealer as well. I now say what was I thinking and certainly was not the amps. fault. These speakers really like a "bigger amp." and the JA 80ll would have been a better match but they were out of my range. I am thrilled Davey is "engaged" in the music. With a brief trial with a refined SS amplifier, I have landed a deal on a CAT JL5 amplifier and just got it home today. It is a way better mate for these speakers and CAT can pretty much do it all. Once again it is all about proper mates. I am one of those guys that believe you mate the amplifier to the speaker.....not the other way around. Gwalt
stringreen, what vintage are the friends gear? Are you referring to JA 30's or some other model in the line up? I would very much doubt that the amps you are referring to are the new mk 2 models. As to the preamp, I have no experience with Jadis models.... no need to, as my CAT is a perfect match for the Jadis amps.
I have never really considered measurements as any kind of arbiter regarding the SQ of audio gear. My ears are the arbiter, just like yours. The measurement crowd tends to shy away from this...which is fine, but i never understood how they correlated what they look for in the measurement and what some "expert" has determined that the measurement correlates to in the sounds that we hear. ( Remembering that what you hear, I hear- and they hear, are probably variations that we all interpret differently). Not to say that the new Jadis amps won't measure well, we have no idea about this ( and they very well could measure great)...but like you said, tube amps don't typically do this. BTW, I was looking at the graph showing the frequency and linearity result that was presented with my speakers....Jeez these guys are almost ruler flat from 45Hz to over 18Khz!! So somebody at SF did have great ears and the ability to design for flat response and measurement! Franco really is missed!!!
Daveyf, I recall walking into a room at the Chicago AXPONA show last year that was using Jadis components and immediately recognizing the realism and beauty of the sound. If you're familiar with the sound of real instruments being played in your presence you'll tend to quickly notice this type of sounnd with certain audio components. Well, it works that way for me.
Very high quality tube equipment (not every tube component is capable of this) such as Jadis and some others are sometimes criticized for not measuring as well as a typical solid state amplifier. This leads to the belief that they're not as accurate or just providing pleasing coloration. I see (hear) it differently.
What is being heard with the Jadis and certain othertube amplifiers of this caliber is an unmistakable realistic and organic presentation. In other words it's a more natural sound character. Your description of air from the trumpet and saxophone, I completely understand what you mean.
This is an example of a very real aspect of something that you can clearly hear and appreciate but would be unable to verify with some form of measurement. I'm just very glad there are exceptional components available that can convey this level of musical beauty and realism. No doubt so are you. Charles
Tonight I had a long listening session with these amps. The new design of the mk2 and the KT150 tubes make this Jadis amp the most resolving and life like sounding amp I have ever had in my system. The Jadis JA 30 mk2’s drive my SF GH’s with ease..allowing the speaker to define the soundstage with great precision. The highs are as pure as any amp I have ever heard and are ( at least to me) a revelation with the silk domes that the GH’s utilize. With certain wind instruments the sound of air escaping through the horn section can easily be heard and the ‘blat’ that distinguishes the various openings of the trumpet and the sax are now eerily realistic. IMHO, if these new Jadis amps will work with your speakers, they should be on your very short audition list.
@daveyf Congrats on the new amps they are certainly stunning to look at I can only imagine how great they sound! There is something very special indeed about a good Class A pushpull tubed amp and good transformers are key. Obviously Jadis winds some fantastic transformers for their amps. Happy listening!
I am glad you have found beauty in the Jadis JA30ll amplifiers. As I stated in this post prior those amplifiers bring as much emotion as any amplifier I have ever used in my 40 years of listening and I have owned quite a few marvelous creations. The bass is very good for their power rating combined with the Jadis magical midrange. As we both know, this hobby is all about matching each component to the listening environments and their mates. With that said this is quite difficult and when you score you can celebrate. Have one on me and enjoy the music!
Thanks, Charles. The SF GH are not that easy of a load. IME, they will not work with very low powered/flea powered amps. However, with the Jadis JA 30 Mk2, as you pointed out, the transformers/power supply are exceptional and since I am using a small room, the 45 watts/ch works fine. The sound is absolutely amazing with the new KT150’s. Incidentally, these amps also have NOS Siemens tubes in the driver stage, a significant upgrade over the stock EH’s, IMO.
Daveyf, Congratulations! The Jadis JA 30 MK II are beautiful visually and no doubt every bit as beautiful sounding. Some say that the SR Guarneri Homage require considerable power to get the most from them. The JADIS 30 MK II provide up to 45 watts class A Per channel. This tells me that they have exceptionally good output transformer and power supply to match so well with these speakers. Based on your description this pairing is superb. I predict that you'll be very happy for many years. Charles
Well a big shout out to gwalt...because thanks to him, I am now the happy owner of the magnificent Jadis JA30mk2’s!! These amps are an absolutely incredible sounding piece of gear... Far more resolving, far more palpable and simply way better at all manner of music making than any other amp I have heard....and I have heard a lot of them! Pairing them with my customized CAT preamp is a match made in heaven. Tonight after hearing the amps for the first time, I now know why I had these on my radar when I posted the OP. If you get a chance to hear these, I highly recommend that you do so....an incredible update on a classic Jadis amp. I simply have not heard better......
keithr896 posts11-15-2016 6:58amThanks for the update - I’m very much considering Jadis’ I-50 integrated amp for fun.
Keith, did you manage to try the Jadis I-50? I am entertaining the possibility of getting this amp though it is not for fun but more like for life. Is this I-50 some sort of a keeper?
Keithr, yes, there is a simple modification that would enable you to use any tube you wish - KT88, 6550, EL34 and others. Although, KT150 sound so good in i50 that I do not see any need for it.
gwalt thanks for the update and glad the amp is working out so well! Jadis is a brand I will continue to lust after from afar but good to know it's good as advertised. Happy listening!
Well congratulations on getting the Devore. Surprising move to me as I know you were very happy with the Zu DEF IV. The Gibbon X must be quite special. 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.
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
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.
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.
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 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,
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.
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.....
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,
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
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!
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?
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,
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.
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