Second harmonics distortion?


Hi folks, recently I listened to a system consisting of Jadis DA88S amplifier and top of the line Sonus Faber loudspeakers. During a counter tenor part I heard some distortion that reminds me of slightly overdriven guitar amplifier (quite euphonic sounding distortion). Was this in fact second harmonics distortion? I thought Jadis was a tube amplifier manufacturer that eschews the typical tube sound, or am I wrong?

Chris
dazzdax
Chances are that you would not notice second harmonic distortion until it gets extreme and then it would sound like an octave divider. That guitar overdrive sound is more than just second harmonic, it's a whole spectrum of harmonics at very high levels. Whether or not Jadis "eschews" the typical tube sound, clipping will result in high levels of harmonic distortion.
Chris,

It may be the recording - studios will add euphonics to voices to give them a richer or fuller sound. It is impossible to say. This is one of the reasons there is so much confusion or misinformation in audio. Naturally everyone tries to draw a conclusions but without a reference type system it is impossible to say (most consumer systems are designed above all to be pleasing to the owner/buyer - accuracy is not the objective of many of these designs)

If you played a number of familiar recordings and came up with the same syrupy euphonic observation then you could conclude it was probably the source, the amp or the speakers or all three combined.
If you are able to describe the effect in the way you did, it is not *just* the second harmonic! The 2nd harmonic adds a false richness, but is also easily canceled by push-pull circuitry, which is what a Jadis is.

So the source of the artifact can be caused by studio effect, cartridge issues, amplifier overload- a variety of things really. I would try the recording on other systems and see if that recording behaves the same way at lower volumes, stuff like that. I would expect that you will find out what is doing it quite quickly.
Just one question. Where did the notion of Jadis not sounding like a tube amp come from. Obviously as an owner of a couple of tube amps I think you are not wrong but incorrect. The DA-60 I have sounds great and is very difficult to clip.
No, I don't think it was clipping. It could originate from the recording itself. I personally find that Jadis equipment has it's own sound signature. Jadis makes good sounding stuff btw.

Chris