Jadis JA80 Mk II Class A Full Tube Monoblock Amplifiers

Description

MY TAKE: Jadis serves up an incredibly seductive presentation that is unique in it's ability to convey the emotion and nuance of music. Rich sound to match the elegant design aesthetic. - Galen Carol

Jadis, The Company -

Jadis was founded in 1983 with a profound passion for making audio equipment which would faithfully reproduce the emotion of a live performance. Driven by this passion Jadis committed to it's own state-of-the-art research and development program. This led to a very unique design philosophy and the development of the incredible Jadis output transformers.

Jadis output transformers are highly specialized devices entirely handmade at the Jadis factory in Villedubert, France. Guaranteed for life, Jadis transformers are world-renowned for their superior quality and contribution to musicality and are one of the secrets of the famous Jadis sound.

With the spectacular performance of their proprietary transformers, Jadis amplifiers are unmatched in power management. As a result, Jadis amplifiers have tremendous dynamics across the entire frequency range with a total lack of coloration. Jadis electronics are no-compromise instruments hand-built one at a time. They feature all point-to-point wiring and the very best components and materials available. Most Jadis amplifiers operate in pure class-A.

Jadis offers a broad range of exceptional products including: turntables, cd players, cd transports, DACs, phono stages, integrated amplifiers, preamplifiers, stereo power amplifiers and mono power amplifiers.

Jadis output transformers are hand wound then poured into a special resin which guarantees extremely low noise operation and thermal stability. Jadis output transformers are known to be indestructible in service and give their amplifiers absolute stability regardless of the load. The specifications are extraordinary; in fact, the maximum allowable power is 2500 Watts before saturation! Therefore, Jadis amplification is ideal for almost all acoustic speakers regardless of impedance, type of design, or efficiency. Only Jadis offers this kind of performance. Guaranteed for life!

Although Jadis does not change their model numbers often, there have been many very substantial improvements made to Jadis products recently. The model names sound familiar but Jadis is now on MkII, MkIII and even MkIV versions on some of their longest standing models. The model versions are indicated on the name plate on the back of all Jadis units.

The latest Jadis models feature improved power and third generation output transformers. The magnetic circuit, copper wire, insulation and manufacturing techniques of the transformers have been improved. The copper wire has been upgraded to a higher purity wire. A new resin coating treatment reduces the noise floor, while upgraded circuitry and improved filtering of high voltage result in purer current. 

In pre-amps internal wiring has been upgraded to a higher quality silver cable and there is more use of silver wire throughout. MC phono stages have been upgraded with higher quality caps and components. Chassis have been upgraded to surgical quality stainless steel and internal components such as diode bridge and capacitors have also been improved. A new treatment of the gold faceplates ensures that your new Jadis will look beautiful for many years to come.

As a result of Jadis' passion for continuous improvement, the latest generation of Jadis products offer significantly higher performance and reliability than ever before.

Jadis JA 80 Power Amplifier -

The JA80 is one of the most well known and popular amplifiers in the Jadis line. Like essentially all Jadis products, the JA80 has been refined and improved over the years. The MkII version is an all-new design optimized to take advantage of the excellent KT150 tubes.

The new JA80 MkII's performance can only be described an eminently musical. It has a beautiful tonal rendering coupled with fine inner dynamics. This is achieved without any exaggeration of drive or presentation. The midrange is liquid and exceptionally relaxed but also with first-rate transient performance and harmonic definition.

With 90 watts of pure Class A power the new JA80 will drive all but the most difficult loads with ease and grace.

REVIEWS:

HiFi+: "This amplifier duo is all about the musical passion, and you are inexorably drawn to music that highlights that passion, at least at first. This is the amplifier for opera lovers, who appreciate the beauty of a soprano’s voice rather than the sort of stark detail that allows you to visualise the shape of her vocal chords.

"That beguiling, almost seductive sound extends to the imaging. A pair of JA-80 Mk II have one of the most holographic soundstages out there, with its outstanding depth and even great height worthy of note. My go-to disc here is the overture to The Pirates of Penzance by the LSO [Decca SXL, original LP] and the combination of a natural linear flow of music from theme to theme and a soundstage that seems to go on forever just makes you smile. Or at least smile away those tumultuous few weeks in late May to early June in the UK. Politics and terrorism be damned: the Jadis combo helped music bring salve to the disquieted soul. That sounds pretentious, but the Jadis really does bring that sense of musical beauty and refinement to almost everything it touches.

"OK, so the JA-80 Mk II’s sublime character is still ‘character’ and those after absolute neutrality in their power amplifiers will never opt for Jadis. In fact, they will probably never opt for a valve amp of any description, but that beauteous nature of the JA-80 Mk II sound is more about beguiling (that word again) character than stark honesty. But those who seek that character in their audio systems do so for a reason, and will frequently reject stark honesty for being too stark. This is not ‘lush’ or ‘rich’, it’s just music that sounds damn beautiful, and that is extremely attractive.

"The sound these JA-80Mk II amps deliver is just so damn lovely, you’ll be hard pressed to find better at any price. It’s the reason why the company made the same amplifier for almost 35 years without a significant change, and there is every reason to expect the JA-80 Mk II to carry on that tradition. If you want your music beautiful, beguiling, and extremely entertaining, the JA-80 Mk II is highly recommended." - Alan Sircom  Full Review

SPECIFICATIONS:

Type: pure Class A mono valve power amplifier

Tube complement: 4× KT150 power tetrodes, 1× ECC82 and 1x ECC83 double triode per channel. Other power valves can be substituted

Power Output: Up to 90 watts per channel

Frequency Response: 20Hz to 27kHz

Loudspeaker impedance: from 1Ω to 16Ω

Bias: Automatic

Sensitivity: 500mV

Power consumption: 190W per channel

Dimensions (W×H×D): 24x26x62.5cm
per chassis

Weight: 35kg per chassis