So many questions....Cwlondon, the JA200s, and the more recent versions, the JA250s are the amps that will give you better bass with the rest of the Jadis sound we're all extolling. Again, haven't heard the 250s with their KT90s (probably a leaner sound than EL34s or KT88s), but I have heard JA200s with NOS KT88s and they are beautiful. Actually, though, I think the JA80s sound slightly better than the higher powered ones, just a personal opinion. Their bass is actually pretty good down to about 40-50 hz (I've never heard an amp better at reproducing a cello), it's below that they run out of steam and control. I've solved the problem by getting a 4-piece speaker system where I can use the 80s above the bass and a solid state amp (Meitners, which tonally are a decent match for the 80s) for the bass, although I wish the cut-off was at a lower frequency. As far as Jadis preamps go, Detlof is right, the JP200MC is the best full feature preamp I've ever heard, but its price is astronomical and it is a four-chasis design. They have a new model, the JP800, which is priced like the top of the line but I haven't heard it. The JP80MC, which I use, gives you most of the performance of the 200 and a great phono stage (it looks like the JPS2 Trelja refers to in the featured auctions--that's the line stage only version of the JP80). I had a problem with my preamp for a while recently (related to a mod, not Jadis), so had to make due with other preamps for a while, and can report that the top of the line VAC preamp works well with it and (here's a surprise) so did the new Innersound phono and line stages (my preamp runs into a solid state crossover now, which then goes to the amps; that may be part of the reason it worked so well, as I think Detlof's post is essentially correct, as a general rule). Still prefer the JP80 over both of them, but that Innersound was a shocker! And while I haven't heard them in my system, I think that the Herron and the Aesthetix units would also work well with Jadis amps, as they both were designed for music lovers. Still think that it's better not to mix and match unless you've tried the combination; I think Gerrym5 has with the Aesthetix, though, and he obviously liked it enough to buy it. Gerrym5, thanks for your offer, I'll contact you later.
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- 43 posts total
- 43 posts total