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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
kyomi_audio's avatar
kyomi_audio
63 posts
 
daveyf, the Ja200 MKii amps in the review belong to us. They are currently driving the most difficult speakers to drive on planet earth, MBL 101E MKII.  The  highs are mind blowing and the  bass is as good as with 2 pairs of  MBL N15 mono blocks in bi-amped configuration. In fact, it is the first time that I dare to demo those speakers with tube amps. 

So, the mismatch with Wilson makes no sense to me. After all, we have all seen them driven by 18W Lamms (not that I agree with that idea). The problem might have been elsewhere.  I have owned DCS  DAC in the past and never liked it preampless.  I found it's digital volume control lacking dynamic drive. It always sounded significantly better going into the CAT JL2 through the CAT Legend preamp that I had at a time - you know what I am talking about since you own one of those. 

At Axpona, When Jason first heard the amps and asked to review them, JA200Mkii were driven by Jadis JP200MC 4 chassis preamp. 


daveyf's avatar
daveyf OP
2,871 posts
 
Kyomi_audio, you make some excellent points. Although I think we have seen Lamm single ended amps (read low powered) drive Wilson speakers like the Alexandria’s quite well..that is not so for the far less efficient Alexia’s.
Nonetheless, I think the real issues are coming from the fact that JVS utilized a DAC as the front end driver....why on earth you would do that escapes me??
Unfortunately, J Calmettes was apparently at the meeting and apparently did not object to this strange pairing. I have no clue why he wouldn’t have had an issue with this, and at least have suggested (strongly suggested) a preamp...like the Jadis that you are utilizing,or another brand. (Again, like you said..CAT).
One of the reasons that I knew the JA30 mk2’s would have no trouble driving my medium efficient SF GH’s, is the fact that they utilize an amazing transformer...plus I have the ability to correctly match the impedance to the speaker load. However, under no circumstance would I consider running the amps from my DAC into the GH’s..even if it were the latest MSB select 2 DAC....which the Dcs certainly isn’t.

Good to hear that you are getting great results with the MBL’s...an unlikely pairing that I wouldn’t have expected would be synergistic.


trelja
3,223 posts
 
@kyomi_audio you make some excellent points, and I agree with you.  The JA 200 MK2 should have no issue whatsoever driving the Wilson Alexias.

The Alexia may prove a bit more demanding than the WATT/Puppy and its successor, Sasha.  But I've heard several instances of those loudspeakers driven to more than good effect by the JA 80
rcprince
3,071 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).

 

kyomi_audio's avatar
kyomi_audio
63 posts
 
rcprince, you are correct, I was experimenting with straps. However, I heard no audible difference between 4-8ohm and 1ohm settings - at least not a significant one. That is why I did not bother to change them  back to 4-8ohm setting before shipping the amps to JVS. I can reassure you, it would have no affect whatsoever on the outcome of the review. 

You are more than welcome to visit Chicago and hear the JA200/JP200/101Mkii combination. It is quite remarkable. 
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