Jadis Preamps JPS8, JPS2 and JP80

I don't know about the other Jadis but I have a chance to listen to a Jadis JP80MC in person....This is a wonderful tube pre-amp if you have the $$$. It has the ability to play music like music and human vocal likes human vocal...not electronic sound which were produced by so many so-called hi-end pre-amp.

This is one pre-amp that you can keep for life.

Edle's description captures what these pieces are all about. Had the chance for the 80's big brother, the 200, not presented itself after over a decade owning the JP80, I'd still own that unit. I don't expect to replace the 200 till it can no longer be serviced, even though it takes up four spaces in my front-end racks.

Hey RC, do you notice a large differance between the 80 and the 200 or is the 200 just suttley better? I know when I went from JA 30s to JA 200s I was floored. The 200s never run out of steam. Of course that doesn't matter with preamps. Didn't I also see somewhere that you replaces your JA 80s with Lamms?

The difference between the JP200 and the JP80 is in part a sense of ease--it never hints at being strained by anything I throw at it, and macro-dynamics are handled as well as the micro-dynamics. It DOES make a difference with preamps. Otherwise, it is hard to compare the two in my case, because my JP200 was a special version which initially was thought to be the successor mk II version, using EF86 tubes rather than 12AX7s in the gain stages. The EF86 is cleaner sounding at low volumes than the 12AX7s, which needed some volume before they sounded their best, IMO. Otherwise, the two are comparable, the 200 is just that little bit more real.

Did finally sell my 80s. The Jadis were wonderful to listen to, but definitely colored and rolled in the highs (fat in the bass too, but not a concern for me as I bi-amp). The Lamms are far more neutral than the Jadis, but still manage to get the midrange and natural dynamics right like the Jadis, and Lamm equipment (in my case, the LP2 and the ML 1.1s) seems to work very synergistically with the Jadis preamp. Interesting that two pieces of equipment so diametrically opposed in their design philosophy (Jadis was desined in large part through listening, Lamm strictly by measurements) can both get it right. More than one way to skin the proverbial cat.

Rcprince is correct the stock Jadis JPS 2 or JP80Mc does not have the level of transparency at the top as more modern designs like the Lamm however this is only the case with the stock unit.

My stock Jadis JPS2 uses the awful sounding brass Cardas female RCA jacks through out and appears to also use cards internal wiring which is not especially neutral or detailed. In early 2006 I plan to replace all of female rca's with pure copper vampire jacks and upgrade the internal wiring with better sounding cable. I also plan on using 6.4% silver/copper lead free solder on all soldering joints which sounds much clearer and cleaner than current leaded solders used most commonly today. Just these changes alone will greatly help to bring this fine design more current using top rate connectors. Also planning on replacing the stock male IEC located in the power supply with the much better sounding Furutech FI-10(g). Other future improvements include removing some of the older capacitors in the power supply and replace them with Black Gate electrolytic caps. There are other changes such as upgrading the coupling capacitors I might try later.

When the Jadis products were originally manufactured they used some of the best parts that were available at the time but times have changed. Better and superior copper connectors, wire, solder and caps are now available that were not 10-15 years ago. The basic Jadis design is still top notch but many of the parts are not and in this regard the unit can substantially improved without changing the character of the unit.

Johnny