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CAT JL-2 Signature VS. Jadis JA80

I will soon be making a choice for a new amp to drive my Vandersteen 5A. I use the AA capitole 2 for CD and a Basis
2500/Vector w/ a Koetsu rosewood standard cart and also have a Benz ruby3. The linestage is a FS pres delx 2 and phono stage is a Lamm LP2 delx. Cables are KS emotion and Power cords are KS emotion and Shuntata anaconda VX. I will be replacing a pair of quicksilver V4 s which may stay after the purchase as a cooler running alternative to the CAT for the summer months.My priorities are as follows , probably not in any particular order. I would hope to serve them all well for the 17- 20 k price tag. I want to drive the 87 Db Vandys with a weight, ease, and authority with power to spare ( I know this certainly to be a strength of the CAT but the Jadis probably is no slouch here either). I am looking for the detail , but also want to fill the room with air and dimensionality. I do not necessarily have to have the detail of say a pair of horn or ceramic drivers driven by OTLs. I would like to ad either amp to the system and have it lean (ever so slightly)toward the warm side letting me relax, enjoy,and retire from evaluating. I listen to primarily Jazz and rock with a little mix of everything.
I have heard the Jadis , but in a totally different setup.
I soon have arrangements to hear the Cat,also not in my system. I am leaning CAT, but want to make sure it does not lean on the cooler sounding side of tube amps.As always, thanks all your help.
fjn04
flg2001's avatar
flg2001
543 posts
 
I would really like to be in that position!!!
(considering buying either of those two amps)
jafox
1,470 posts
 
Since your speakers have an amp for the bottom 2 octaves, you have several options for amplifiers that many of the rest of us do not have. I have not heard the Vandy 5 nor the Jadis amps and yet there seems to be a consensus that both of these products are on the warm rather than the detailed/dynamic side.

I have the CAT JL-3 amps driving the SoundLab A1 speakers. In this case, I need an amp that has the ultimate in control of the speaker no matter how complex the music gets. In my setup, I have no doubt that these amps or a JL-2 would eat the Jadis for lunch when it came to retaining the dynamics and control of the music.

The CAT amps do initial attack of the notes like nothing I have ever experienced. And they have an incredible resolution of detail hidden deep in the low levels of the performance. Once you hear this and you get accustomed to this, it is very difficult to switch to another amp.

The CAT amps are NOT a typical warm sounding tube amp. If you want that greater lower mids presence, Atmasphere, older ARC amps with KT88 or the Jadis amps would most likely be a better choice.....over even the Wolcott amps.

If you were to end up with the JL-2 and you found the result to be a bit lacking in warmth, any number of preamps could come to the rescue to bring on a great balance of warmth vs. dimensionality vs. detail. I run with the Aesthetix Io/Callisto and this with the CAT amps is a match made in heaven. The portrayal of space and decays strengths from the Aesthetix and the explosive dynamic contrasts and frequency extreme coverage of the CATs makes for a wonderful sound. Notice I did not say synergy. My gut feeling is that the CAT preamp would be way too much into the "neutral zone" for your liking.

You really need to find a way to at least try these in your home. And one other thing - you have awesome cables in the K-S Emotion models. But if the CAT was almost but not quite enough of that richness and fullness, I suspect trying a couple Purist Dominus power cables or ICs could change your mind on this in a flash....not to mention even greater dynamic contrasts.

John
fjn04 OP
1,561 posts
 
Thanks for your walk-off home run worth of responses, they helped me a great deal. In talking to CAT people, it is suggested ( and from a big CAT) not to use silver wire. After hearing this plus others using something other than an SL-1 Ultimate in front of their CAT amps , I knew that my component choices would be critical for a happy life with the JL-2. I am actually hoping for a happy marriage with my FS,although I do not consider the FS to be warm sounding. I do think the KS cable is slightly warm, so hopefully I have a good start there, and Johns suggestion for Dominus may be very much on track. I hope to hear the the amp ( an upgraded mk.1) before the end of May. I will chime back with a report
afterward.
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