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  #11  
Old 06-03-2010, 09:55 PM
PHC1 PHC1 is offline
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I've auditioned Jadis a few times before with various results. Howie, all I can say is that Sasha may have more to do with the impression you had of that system then you may realize.
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  #12  
Old 06-03-2010, 10:24 PM
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Originally Posted by cmalak View Post
Howie...are you considering other tube amps? I would be interested in your thoughts on a comparison with other well known tube amp brands as Jadis has very sparse distribution in the US and so the opportunity to hear them on this side of the pond is very limited. Let us know if you audition tube amps from other companies such as EAR, McIntosh, ARC, VTL, and Conrad Johnson (these are the names that I would compare with Jadis equipment). Thx
So far in recent times, I have auditioned Jadis (long sessions) and a short one with Serge's Lamm Models. It had a spectral cdp and Magico M5 speakers. Seriously not my cup of tea at all. I think this is the magico more than anything else. The sound was so dry I almost felt thirsty whilst sitting there! Gonna have to audition Lamm some other way...

Mcintosh stuff i am very familiar with and I intend to listen to the MC2301 once more but it might be more fun to delve into other brands. EAR I know nothing about.
ARC I have to admit doesn't ring my bell yet. I listened to the 210, ref 5, cd8 through amatis a few days ago and it confirmed my feeling that the sound is very neutral and slightly thin, almost solid state like in which case I would prefer to go for Mc 1.2KW or something similar.

CJ and VTL i have heard but not yet demoed seriously.

Last night I had a listen to the new TAD monoblocks, TAD CDP through TAD reference bookshelf speakers. They are quite a fantastic little speaker though not cheap at US$30k ish.
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  #13  
Old 06-03-2010, 10:41 PM
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Originally Posted by howiebrou View Post
So far in recent times, I have auditioned Jadis (long sessions) and a short one with Serge's Lamm Models. It had a spectral cdp and Magico M5 speakers. Seriously not my cup of tea at all. I think this is the magico more than anything else. The sound was so dry I almost felt thirsty whilst sitting there! Gonna have to audition Lamm some other way..
That bad huh?
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  #14  
Old 06-03-2010, 10:41 PM
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I've auditioned Jadis a few times before with various results. Howie, all I can say is that Sasha may have more to do with the impression you had of that system then you may realize.
Sashas sounded very nice, soooooooo much better than Watt 8. You really can't believe they are from the same manufacturer.

Actually the day before I listened to the Jadis, the Sashas were hooked up to the Ayre MXR and KXR so I had a fairly good idea of the difference the jadis made compared to the Ayre. Ayre was a lot leaner, dryer but very crisp as well. Not a bad sound at all, but ultimately my preference was for a fuller, tubey sound that I found with jadis. Actually 60 watts of pure class A really drove the sashas well.
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  #15  
Old 06-03-2010, 10:47 PM
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Originally Posted by howiebrou View Post
So far in recent times, I have auditioned Jadis (long sessions) and a short one with Serge's Lamm Models. It had a spectral cdp and Magico M5 speakers. Seriously not my cup of tea at all. I think this is the magico more than anything else. The sound was so dry I almost felt thirsty whilst sitting there! Gonna have to audition Lamm some other way...
I agree with you on the Magico sound. I have now listened to the V2, V3 and the Q5s and I can respect what all the speakers in the Magico line do, but I just can't bring myself to love them. I just don't find myself emotionally engaged with the speakers. The Q5 demo last week was very impressive when you parse out the sound but when you bring it all together, it just didn't pull me in. If you have not had a chance to listen to Rockport speakers, i would suggest giving them a listen.
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  #16  
Old 06-03-2010, 10:48 PM
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Sashas sounded very nice, soooooooo much better than Watt 8. You really can't believe they are from the same manufacturer.

Actually the day before I listened to the Jadis, the Sashas were hooked up to the Ayre MXR and KXR so I had a fairly good idea of the difference the jadis made compared to the Ayre. Ayre was a lot leaner, dryer but very crisp as well. Not a bad sound at all, but ultimately my preference was for a fuller, tubey sound that I found with jadis. Actually 60 watts of pure class A really drove the sashas well.
I suggest you audition those thirst inducing Lamm's with Sasha and let me know what you think.

My Wilson dealer carries Krell, Bryston, Ayre and a few other brands and one listen to my Lamm's with Sasha was enough to convince him this was the best he has ever heard. Care to guess which amps Peter McGrath of Wilson audio has in his own system with his Maxx 3s? Thus man has heard more Wilson with just about any gear than probably anyone on the planet.
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  #17  
Old 06-03-2010, 11:17 PM
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I suggest you audition those thirst inducing Lamm's with Sasha and let me know what you think.

My Wilson dealer carries Krell, Bryston, Ayre and a few other brands and one listen to my Lamm's with Sasha was enough to convince him this was the best he has ever heard. Care to guess which amps Peter McGrath of Wilson audio has in his own system with his Maxx 3s? Thus man has heard more Wilson with just about any gear than probably anyone on the planet.
Alas it won't be possible to audition Lamm with Wilson as they are with competing dealers. The only other speakers the lamm dealer has is FM Acoustic and having heard them, there is no way I dare listen again!

The Wilson dealer on the other hand has MBL, Ayre, Jadis, Boulder, Wadia, Continuum, Lumen White, Westlake.

Its funny, normally you see the MBL 101e being driven by huge solid state monoblocks like the 9011. I heard them with the Jadis Amps (60 watts) and they sounded magnificent. You can never tell whether one amp can drive a certain speaker until you try it.
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  #18  
Old 06-04-2010, 12:20 AM
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Howie,

I have been trying to take myself back to the demo room at Brooks Berdan and give you some more impressions of the Jadis amps.

here are the things that come to mind. Big, Round, Full, Rich, Thick, LOVELY... you get the idea. I was really mesmerized.

At the time I owned, and loved, my 501's, he put those on and they sounded thin, sharp, well ... there was just no comparison.

We ALL know that the 501's are ANYTHING but thin and sharp.. but that is how they sounded after listening to the Jadis full tube set up

This was all with Wilson speakers, which, were not to my liking... in that room ...with the 501's. But I really did love the Wilosn/Jadis pairing. Great stuff!!!
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  #19  
Old 06-04-2010, 12:59 AM
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Originally Posted by howiebrou View Post
Alas it won't be possible to audition Lamm with Wilson as they are with competing dealers. The only other speakers the lamm dealer has is FM Acoustic and having heard them, there is no way I dare listen again!

The Wilson dealer on the other hand has MBL, Ayre, Jadis, Boulder, Wadia, Continuum, Lumen White, Westlake.

Its funny, normally you see the MBL 101e being driven by huge solid state monoblocks like the 9011. I heard them with the Jadis Amps (60 watts) and they sounded magnificent. You can never tell whether one amp can drive a certain speaker until you try it.
How do you like the FM Acoustics? My friend / dealer said it's one of the best amps he has ever heard, and he heard a lot including many exotic brands. He now owes the FM 244 (a discontinued preamp model).
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  #20  
Old 06-04-2010, 04:07 AM
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How do you like the FM Acoustics? My friend / dealer said it's one of the best amps he has ever heard, and he heard a lot including many exotic brands. He now owes the FM 244 (a discontinued preamp model).
FM Acoustics stuff is fantastic. Yes it is overpriced but if you want one of the best then this is definitely a contender.

Being European it doesn't try to be 'in your face' like some monolithic brands can be. It has a much fuller, complete and musical tonal quality to it which long term is much more fulfilling. I should qualify that I tend to stay away from brands that try to impress initially with huge bass or super dynamic transients.

Add in a quality LP kit and it really is wonderful. Now if you take 50% at least off their prices it might actually be competitive.
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