Tvad, I'm glad someone else "feels" that song. It's truly why I am involved in the high end. The equipment is merely the means to get there; secondary to the music.
I really want to thank Denis (Springbok10) for the opportunity of getting to know him. He's truly one of the BEST people one will ever encounter - audio or otherwise. Please don't feel so bad about buying the Jadis. As it was, it was collecting dust, and my wife has been on me to "liquidate" some of the things I am not actually using.
Denis is a unique audiophile, and person, in many ways. What separates him from most is that he truly knows what he is looking for. Beyond that, he obviously has an incredible ear. He's tried a lot of components, and his impressions of everything we discussed were incredibly spot on. As such, it is a rare component that will make the grade.
As Denis said, the amp is surely a pain to bias. Actually, I find the bias procedure itself to be a snap once it's understood (which is why I included photos - a picture is worth a thousand words). It is not at all intuitive from the instructions I was given. Putting the amp back together is what I dread. I got it reassembled in 10 minutes this time, but it's still far too big a hassle.
Ah, the French! We laughed over the same online review of the Jadis Orchestra, where the reviewer was sent a brand new amp, only to try install the tubes, but couldn't get the tube cage off. Once he did (after acquiring the necessary tool), he noticed the Allen key was packed in bag inside the tube cage.
In all seriousness, as I write this, I just got the idea that I would make a few more holes in the bottom panel of the amp (it already has vents), that line up with the resistors and potentiometers (they almost do now) involved in the biasing. That way, what is now a real chore would be a simple, 3 minute operation. No muss, no fuss.
I'll also add that the gold plating on the faceplate is impossible to keep looking good. But, it's still better than the plastic of the Orchestra.
Although I have a spare quad of KT90 tubes, the fact that I have not yet found them and conversations with Denis on his likes and dislikes led me to try a new quad of JJ E34L tubes in the amp. Immediately after install, the sound was absolutely DEAD. I mean nothing. But, as I continued to play them, the sound began to open up. This was Friday night.
Upon listening on Sunday (about 10 hours on the tubes), I noticed that this was the best EVER sound I have gotten from my Coincident speakers. Forget about triode versus pentode, SET versus push - pull, tube versus solid state, all that stuff we always argue about. Nothing I have ever heard before got the notes so perfectly right as this little Jadis. Period, end of story. Triangles sounded like triangles, voices like voices, brass sounded like brass, cymbals sounded like brass and not that harsh metallic thing we normally hear.
And, the soundstaging was absolutely shocking. It stood out to me like nothing else in my past, and my two other amps are monoblocks. It was to die for.
The only downsides I heard was that the music could run out of steam more easily, ~95 dB, than I was used to in the past with the amp. And, the bass was not as slamming. I'm sure these were the tradeoff in going from the KT90 to the E34L tubes. But, it was a tradeoff I'd make any day, as EVERYTHING else was far better.
I was in heaven, but also in hell, realizing I had just sold the darn thing. Denis assured me that I could still back out. But, no. I had given him my word, he had already paid, and besides, I did have too much stuff...
I decided to play around a bit. With the glorious music still playing in my head, I tried the E34L tubes in my Granites. Well, they did have more power, and didn't run out of steam at high volumes. But, in all other areas, the Jadis absolutely slayed the Granites. And, the Granites are the best tube amps I came across during my summer audition. I listened to Cary, CJ, Rogues, and my Atmas. I liked the Granites better. Yet, here was the entry level amp of a company no one ever talks about anymore playing music with all get out.
Then, for kicks, I tried the Granite's JJ KT88 tubes in the JOR. Oh my God! The power and bass quibbles that I had were more than straightened out, while none of the midrange and treble magic was taken away. This was incredible. It was truly "just go with this, and live happily ever after with the music" kind of sound.
Again, it was by far the best sound I have ever gotten out of my Coincidents. Better than my AtmaSpheres, better than my Granites. With the better front end and cabling than I had 5 years ago and the new tubes, I was finally getting to hear what the Jadis could really do.
What the hell did I just do?!? Oh well, I resigned myself to the fact that I'll be buying another Jadis in the future, and this time I'll do it with gusto and get an even better one (DA30, DA50, DA60?).
In the end, I am really happy that Denis was the one who ended up with the amp. He's someone who can appreciate what it actually is, as opposed to someone on the merry go round, constantly buying and selling. Hopefully, as the tubes get 250 hours on them, we'll really know what they sound like. And, whether they or KT88 are the ones to go with. I am sure that over time, he'll get everything right around it, and truly get to hear what I heard in getting it ready for him. And, when that day comes, he'll know that the Jadis will be a lifetime purchase.
