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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?
128x128daveyf

Showing 5 responses by rcprince

rcprince
3,061 posts
 
I think all the review should be read to say is that the JA 200s are not an ideal match for the Wilson Alexias, at least in the reviewer's opinion  It's a shame that the reviewer didn't have other speakers on hand to see if the problems were with the amplifiers in general or were related to their interaction with the speakers.  I note that Art Dudley, to his credit, did a follow-up to his review of a Peachtree amplifier when he considered the distributor's point in the manufacturer's comments that Dudley's vintage speakers were not an ideal or typical match for the amp. 
rcprince
3,061 posts
 

FWIW, after re-reading the review, it looks to me like the only person who knew the amps were strapped for one ohm was John Atkinson, and only after he opened up the amplifier--he notes that the distributor had stated they were in the 4-8 ohm setting.  And the reviewer says that the manufacturer rep installed KT 150s, and JA stated he measured the amps with KT 150s, and I must assume that at least JA knows what KT 150s look like, so perhaps those are stock manufacturer/distributor photos in the article (they certainly have the look of them--compare the photo quality of the amp shots with the photo of Calmettes)?




rcprince
3,061 posts
 

And I repeat, the manufacturer/distributor set the amps at 1 ohm, not the reviewer, and it was certainly not incumbent on him to open up the amps and reset the amps at a different setting.  That's easy enough when you have separate taps outside the amp like ARC and VAC do, but not obvious or easy with Jadis.    According to JA on his measurements section, the distributor told him the amps were set to the 4-8 ohm setting; if there was a mistake, don't blame the reviewer.  If anything, I'd like to have the distributor resubmit with the amps set at 4-8 ohms and see how that works.

As far as running the dCS right into the amps, my experience with all amps I've used, not just my old JA80s, has been to prefer the sound with a preamp in the chain (especially a Jadis or similar quality tubed preamp), although they certainly weren't lacking for highs or lows when I tried a passive volume control with them.  However, there are a lot of people in these forums who prefer running their DACs right into their amps, as any search in the forums will show.  I would like to have someone like Al look at the specs and see if there really was a mismatch between the Jadis and the DAC that would explain the reviewer's observations, but unless you can show us one you're just speculating..

The review does highlight the great strength of Jadis electronics, a wonderful midrange.  Even with rolled off highs and a full but overly ripe bass, my JA 80s were in my system for well over 10 years with a less than optimal speaker match (Duntech Princesses) simply because the midrange was that good.  Jadis really isn't for the person who wants aural thrills, and I would also submit that their products are more geared to the person who listens to acoustic rather than rock/electronic music.  Michael Fremer (I think correctly) pointed that out when he reviewed the JP80MC preamp years ago. 

Ultimately, you made an excellent choice getting the JA30s (which, by the way, in my view have the best bass reproduction of the Jadis amps, at least in their original version), I'd not worry about the review.  A person who knows the reputation of Jadis and what they are best at won't be scared off by the review (unless maybe if they own Wilson Alexias).

rcprince
3,061 posts
 
We'll have to agree to disagree on the strapping, then.  The owner of the company set up the amps, and Stereophile was told that the setting was 4-8 ohms.  This mistake appears to have been made by Jadis or their distributor, not the reviewer.  
rcprince
3,061 posts
 

Well, I think we now know why the amps were strapped for one ohm.  I had heard an earlier version of the mbl 101s driven quite well by the original version of the JA500s years ago (6550 output tubes), but I still thought it would be hard to imagine them driven with anything less powerful in tubes, glad to hear I was wrong.  Would love to hear that combination, especially with the JP200 MC (had to sell mine when I downsized, I still miss it).

 

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