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http://www.audiogamma.it/scheda.php?codpro=153
Dal sito:
http://www.audiophilia.com/hardware/Tube_Amps/reviews/orchestra.htm
Listening
My system is analogue based. Since the Orchestra does not have a phono
stage, I had to install one between the Well-Tempered Table and the
line-level inputs on the back of the amplifier. I contacted Chris
Johnson at Sonic Frontiers and he was happy to loan me one of their new
Phono 1 dedicated phono stages (full review forthcoming). My Lyra Lydian
cartridge has an output of about 0.4mV, so I requested a Phono 1 with
62dB of gain - the maximum possible. This turned out to be more than
enough in combination with the 28dB gain of the Orchestra and the high
sensitivity of the Quad ESL-57 speakers. I used my reference Kimber PBJ
interconnects between phono stage and amp, and Kimber 4TC speaker cables.
If
any of you were wondering whether the $2495 price of the Orchestra
includes a Jadis active line stage, the answer is no - the Orchestra's
pre-amp section is entirely passive. That's not really an important
issue, however, because the amp is dead quiet and has enough sensitivity
to easily handle digital sources straight in. Regarding phono noise, the
Phono 1 gain stage is a champ and is a formidable accompaniment to the
Orchestra.
What is it like to listen to the Jadis for the first time? It's like
going from an English four-banger to a car with one of those quad-cam
sixes that the Japanese seem to excel at putting in their top-line
vehicles. This is a piece of equipment that is grainless and effortless
to listen to; utterly smooth and timbrally true to nature. It simply
sounds more like real music than anything I've heard outside a show
setting.
The
EL-34s aren't triodes but, if properly applied as such in a circuit,
they can exhibit surprisingly good linearity, approaching that of the
real thing. And they have guts too, with the verve and dynamism of forty
push-pull Watts that sound more like one hundred - something I'd expect
with the unit running in high 'A/B' bias. What I didn't expect was the
relatively cool-running chassis and transformers. It runs hotter than my
old ST-70 and certainly hotter than the KT-99a tubed Sonic Frontiers
SFS-50 I used to own, but nothing to be alarmed about by any means. I
have to say I was slightly skeptical about leaving the Orchestra
powered-up while I wasn't in the room for the first few days, but I soon
came to realize that this is a stable and reliable piece of hardware. I'm
now in the habit of leaving it on all the time, even when I'm out of the
house without any concern at all. I leave the Phono 1 on constantly as
well, so the whole system is fired up, and ready to roll whenever I am.
For those less daring, I must say that from cold, the sound of the
Orchestra improves after about one hour. I found this a subtle but
noticeable change.
The
first record I listened to after the system warmed up was the ensemble
Tashi playing Takemitsu's Water Ways (RCA ARL1-3483). It opens
with two harps calling to each other across the soundstage. Then a
vibraphone joins in. I'd never heard the treble floating above the
ESL-57s with such purity and integrity. Soon other instruments further
down the sonic span join in: piano, clarinet, violin, cello, trombone,
horn, and bass drum. The bass is surprisingly firm and powerful.
The
Orchestra possesses an extraordinarily smooth balance throughout the
spectrum, providing a stronger impression of live music than I have yet
experienced with the Quads. The power level seems to suit the ESLs well,
the soundstage is expansive, and they sound dynamic and full, especially
in the mid-range. This amp has a superb and enchanting midrange, which I
speculate is the result of the harmonic balance that Jadis has purposely
tuned into it.
By
reducing the output of the Phono 1 slightly, I discovered that I could
listen to that pop war-horse, Jennifer Warnes' Famous Blue Raincoat
(Cypress Records LAT1227), with the gain control wide open. The emotion
that the singer pours into the poetry of Leonard Cohen was revealed with
new conviction and candor. The moment in Bird on a Wire where
Leonard Cohen doubles behind and an octave below Warnes, is remarkable
for the grainless resonance of the bass voice. Even the most impassioned
moments on Joan of Arc are handled with ease and the impression
of great power in reserve.
As
I grew accustomed to the sound of the new components, I became aware of
the extraordinarily low noise floor they exhibited. I once thought noise
in an audio system meant 'tube rush', or that muted sizzle that cheaply
made solid state amplifiers spew when there's no music signal and you've
got your ear up to the speaker. These artifacts should be inaudible at
normal listening levels, right? I've learned that the problem of noise
is much subtler. It invades and infuses the music with something that
irritates and whispers, 'turn it off, turn it off…' somewhere in the
back of my brain. There was none of that with the Orchestra. No grain,
no etching, no brittleness. Just, to quote Charles Baudelaire (poet and
hashisheen), "Luxe, calme et volupté".
Conclusion
Jadis has a remarkable entry-level product here. It completely puts to
rest the myth of Jadis reliability and affordability. It is on an
entirely different plane from other audio components, and I suppose, in
the end, that is what Jadis is all about. Their pursuit is music and the
most natural reproduction of sound they can possibly achieve. Don't be
afraid to treat yourself. Life's too short.
http://www.jadis-electronics.com/
http://www.thinkway.it/jadis.htm
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