The Jadis JA200Mk2 review---or slam!


In the current issue of Stereophile, Jason Victor Serinus reviews the new Jadis JA200Mk2....or should I say SLAMS the amp!!

Since I am new to the Jadis family, I thought I would bring up a few interesting thoughts on this review. The first is that I am totally understanding why an amp that uses Ten(10) KT150’s per side would probably not be a great solution at all!!!! Why, well JVS brought up the reason...although he did minimize the impact; the amount of heat this beast gives off is crazy! Space heater in disguise. What’s odd is how JVS also points to his Pass amps as giving off a ton of heat. ?? Anyhow, we then learn that the review was conducted using JVS DAC as the source...and direct into the amps....who does this??? Why on earth would anyone use a DAC to drive a large tube mono block for a magazine review!! No preamp was used. All of the photos of the amp show it using the KT120 tubes...all. There is mention of what the amp was designed with...the KT150’s, but there is some questions to what tubes were actually in the amp under review. Then to go on, the amp was apparently strapped for the 1ohm load....????? JVS doesn’t check these things!...and then states that the amp is not really that great in the bass reproduction. Huh, why would he think that a tube amp that is strapped to the 1ohm setting would produce prodigious bass with his hard to drive Wilson Alexia’s!!! Can we say classical "mismatch" here.
JA’s follow up measurements, while interesting as usual, are IMO also a little odd, what is the base line that he is using to determine accuracy??? Another tube amp...a ss amp, a hybrid design of some sort...his ears, someone else’s ears???

While I purposely did not consider the new Jadis JA 200Mk2 amp for my system, due to the immense heat output...and probable impact on reliability due to this factor ( IME, electronics seem to have a much longer life if heat is not that much of a factor!!! ( Am i one of the few that perhaps understands this??) Plus, i don’t need any space heaters in S.Calif.) I would think that a follow-up review ( preferably by a more experienced reviewer) would be in order....one who can correctly match-up this amp to their ancillary gear.
Anyone else have an opinion of the Jadis JA200Mk2 review in the current issue of Stereophile?
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Showing 3 responses by onhwy61

The review concludes with the following:
For beauty of sound, the JA200Mk II monoblocks have few rivals.  They're extremely quiet and fast, and their midrange, neither over-emphasized or bloated, is to die for.
The amps were delivered and setup by a principal of Jadis who knew ahead of time what equipment they were to be paired with.  The manufacture or distributor configured the amp to its one ohm setting.

I suspect most Jadis owners would use a preamp, but the $35k dCS is a DAC/preamp of exceedingly high quality.  None of the specs would suggest a mismatch of any sort.

Overall, the article is more a comparison than an outright review.  The reviewer is probably accurate in the sonic differences between the Jadis and Pass in his particular system.  Considering the weight and size of the Wilson loudspeakers, it's probably not very practical for the reviewer to swap out loudspeakers.

It is what it is, the review says the Jadis sounds wonderful, but different than the Pass solid state.  Would anybody here feel better if he concluded the Jadis sounded just like the Pass?
Towards the end of the article the writer points out that the manufacturer doesn't think there is a compatibility issue with the loudspeakers that would result in what he is hearing.  And I'll state again that Jadis knew ahead of time what loudspeaker the writer was going to use and configured the amps to what they thought would be the optimal setup (KT150s/1 ohm).  It would be interesting to hear the combo with a different amp configuration to see what effect it would have, but it doesn't appear that the manufacturer/distributor made that suggestion.  Maybe next month's issue will have a manufacturer's comment.

My take away from the review is that the amp made beautiful sounding music with the Wilson, but that it might not be the amp for someone seeking Hi-Fi thrills.  French sophistication at its best.  What more could a discerning music lover want?

BTW, what loudspeaker are you using?
The review clearly states that KT150s were used.  What specs do you offer that would show a mismatch between the dCS and Jadis?