JADIS DEFY7, can not get it to sing


Hi
I hope some of you old pros can help answer my,,well lets say help me figure out how to get my Jadis defy 7 to sing. I purchased the amp used (like new, as the seller had a  Jadis JA200 mono blocks laready and the Defy sat quiet, So I bought it in 2008. Months later i purchased a  MINGDA tube pre amp, sounded AWEFUL, Not even close to my jadis Orch reference, KT90's EI tubes, that intergrtaed was really all I needed, i made a  huge costly mistake selling and buying the  DEFY 7, I do believe that w/o a  powerful pre, to DRIVE the FQ's into the Defy, the Defy will not respo9nd. 
The sound is flat, lifeless, no dynamics, The Orch Refer had HUGE sound stage, bass, GORGEOUS life like mids, nice sweet highs. 
I wanted more and bought the Defy,. 
I just had the Defy cked in Baton Rouge, had the KT90's brand new EH tuibes biased . 
I have a  ONKYO preamp arriving next week and am about to buy a  Mitshibushi Pre amp, 
I have a  LITE LS9 , chinese tube preamp, and that pre sounds like the,,no worse than the heftier Ming Da. 
This Lite LS9 is suppose to be a copy of the Jadis 200 pre, It weighs only 7 lbs, the trans is light weight.
I get  the idea the jadis Defy needs a  great hefty powerful prem, which is what folks told me back when i bought it, I did not believe them. 

I am low on  cash and will list the Defy for $3500 and i will pay shipping. 
I will then wait fora  great used Jadis intergrated, say a  DA50.

But I 1st want to try the 2 solid state pres to see if i can get the Defy to wake up.
It I can get some better respose , i may keep it and look for a  good used Audio reserach or a  macnintosh.
I do not have $6K for a jadis pre used. 
My budget is $1K
any help is greatly appreacitaed.
I have the uncredibly  SEAS Thor MTM speakser along with the CAYIN tube cd player with upgraded opamps .
As I say I am very close to selling the hge, hardly used (Like New) amp, due to my doubts that I can get the amp to respond like its tiny brother , The Orch Reference. 
btw I am the one who coined the tag *shootout* wayyyy back in 2000, or 2001 
I stared a  thread of speaker shootouts,,,and based on that long thread, i bought the SEAS THor kits. 
I now see *shoot out* is now the common tag for speaker and stereo components comparison.
My old login was Bartokfan.
Look forward to any suggestions in my dilemma.
paul
new orleans
mozartfan
What is needed is truth.  Many Chinese factories make knock offs using designs that they have illegally copied(or stolen to be more specific) and then flood the market with them.  They have often times used cheaper parts and such, and the results are undercutting the very companies that they have stolen from.
 
Cable companies are another favourite target, but of course it’s not limited to the audio world.  It’s a relief that finally the American government has told China to stop behaving this way and has initiated tariffs to back up their position.
@mrdecibel ................

I put down the Chinese preamp because it is a cheap imitation, knock off which is probably illegal, nothing more and nothing less. If you can’t see that, then you are blind. Putting a 500.00 preamp with an amp that cost more than 5K when new is just plain silly and will not yield good sound. I purchased a cheap Chinese hybrid integrated back in 2006. It was a Yaquin. After using it for 4 days, it caught fire and the manufacturer refused to warranty it. It went out in the trash, hence “cheap Chinese junk”. I am willing to bet that more than 90% of us here would not do what the OP proposes.   Regarding my system, no worries you don’t like it.  Right now I am loving the sound of my McIntosh MR88 tuner playing through my McIntosh C2500 tube preamp, into my McIntosh MC302 300wpc  amp WITH autoformers and listening through my Golden Ear Triton References. Breathtaking sound to be sure.    

Why don’t you try this: purchase the Dartzeel clone that is selling for $1200.00. It must be a real bargain as the real amp goes for something like 17K. The real Dartzeel uses 4 caps larger than soda cans. The clone uses caps smaller than my finger. I am sure it will sound just as good (not).
stereo5"I put down the Chinese preamp because it is a cheap imitation, knock off which is probably illegal, nothing more and nothing less. If you can’t see that, then you are blind."

I am not blind my vision and hearing are both exceptional and you’re frequent, repeated, incessant hate filled attacks on Chinese products reflects a deeply rooted prejudice, intolerance, and ignorance of cultures, languages, and practices different from you’re own and if this product is illegal in any way you are free to report it to the relevant authorities for proiper remedial action but of course you will not do that you would rather spread you’re distaste for things Asian hear!

Notice I do not say that those who disagree with me are stupid which is basically what stereo5 uses for reasoning, logic, and argumentation!
stereo5, whatever dude......handbags are an excellent example of copying a design. I see nothing wrong with it. It gives women, and possibly, some men, satisfaction, that they can own a $3500. look alike for under $100. If you look at the parts in this Leaf unit, I would suspect it would cost a few thousand, if it was built here. As far as using many more " smaller sized capacitors ", many designers feel this is superior ( Steve McCormack might have been the 1st to do this, as far as I know ). And copying designs ? Stewart Hegeman; Matti Otala; and a few others, whose circuit designs have been copied, and appeared, in so many American made products. No where in the Leaf ad, does it suggest, it is the equal of the Audio Research LS 22, of which it's circuit was copied. BTW, I have no reason to purchase any amplifier at this time, as I am very happy with the collection I have, specifically, a pair of mono blocks, designed by Hafler, for the movie cinema industry, and I can honestly say, they run my modified Klipsch Lascalas, quite " invisibly ". I did mention I was not fond of McIntosh amps ( solid state, specifically ), that use autoformers. I sold many, and have owned many. However, I did say, I understand why listeners enjoy them, but you still became defensive. And as far as tube preamps....been there, done that. " I " choose to listen to my recordings, unadulterated, non smoothed over, non colored, non editorialized, as this, brings me closer, to what is actually going on, with the musicians, the performers, the producers, and the studio engineers. I gave credit to the listeners, such as yourself, for enjoying tubes, and the Mac amplifiers. You responded hostile, and combative. I do not care if someone stated, that my system was not to their liking ( btw, this has not happened yet, after listening ). My system, is for me, no one else. You are a very angry individual, so it appears, and I am not the only one who sees this. So take care, my friend, and enjoy your system ( s ), as I am happy for you....really......Always, MrD.






































Your love of Chinese knock offs are noted, but they are not for me. The Chinese repeatedly steal US technology by reverse engineering. If you are fine with it, good for you!   If you or your wife is happy with a knock off handbag, that’s great.  I prefer the real thing and won’t support that illegal industry.  What particularly bothers me is the knock off handbags using the exact same label  as the real one.  That is illegal and people who buy that stuff is stealing away sales from the legit manufacturers.  It is the same with counterfeit cables and other accessories. 
I have no problems with legit things made in China like the iPhones and iPads my wife and I both own.  However the clones and knock offs are an entirely different matter.  As long as you people with the clones and knock offs can sleep at night, I say kudos.