ok, maybe you will first try the Mullard in the preamp with your current power amp, know the difference, then try both in the Jadis. Ideally you need another pair of both to roll in both pre and power
Ron’s New System
- Thread starter Ron Resnick
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ok, maybe you will first try the Mullard in the preamp with your current power amp, know the difference, then try both in the Jadis. Ideally you need another pair of both to roll in both pre and power
Informed speculation. In a diverse tube versus solid-state amplifier shoot-out I have never failed to prefer the tube amplifier contender.
I am a single issue voter on these kinds of questions. All I have to figure out is "on which component does the voice sound more like a live person singing to me in this room." That is all I care about. (This question factors other characteristics into the analysis, including transparency and tonal balance.)
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I realize this is relatively arbitrary, but I have in my head that I want to keep the upstream components more transparent and objective, and not put Mullards everywhere.
I presently have Mullards in the input stage of the Siegfried IIs.
You have a pattern of what's in your head, while you should be trying by using what's between your ears, though technically that is your head.
I am not a fan of this sound. It reminds me of BAT SS amps, which had a dark character as they tried (and failed) to emulate tube amps. I hear strong similarities in Vitus. Ironically, the BAT VK tube amps are not like this at all...they are quite good in fact and the BAT REX monos might be an interesting choice for Class A triode with over 100 watts of power...would still go SET...but the BAT tube amps are good.
Oh, one more small thing.
I have always described my introduction to high-end audio by Michael Kay of Lyric Hi-Fi in New York when he ushered me into his main listening room with Infinity IRS V, Goldmund Reference turntable, Benz Ruby cartridge and Jadis JA200s as my first religious experience of an audio nature. He played Reference Recording's Symphonie Fantastique, and I was hooked!
Flemming conscientiously designed the Pendragons to be a reimagined and simplified Infinity IRS V.
So there is an elegant and almost emotional closing of the circle for me to try Jadis amplifiers on the Pendragons.
I have always described my introduction to high-end audio by Michael Kay of Lyric Hi-Fi in New York when he ushered me into his main listening room with Infinity IRS V, Goldmund Reference turntable, Benz Ruby cartridge and Jadis JA200s as my first religious experience of an audio nature. He played Reference Recording's Symphonie Fantastique, and I was hooked!
Flemming conscientiously designed the Pendragons to be a reimagined and simplified Infinity IRS V.
So there is an elegant and almost emotional closing of the circle for me to try Jadis amplifiers on the Pendragons.
How does dust prevent you from listening to music? Just curious about that...everyone I know just leaves stuff uncovered and once in a while dusts it off...certainly not everytime before playing.
"I am expecting at a 70% or 80% confidence level that 1/10th power of the VTLs is not going to be able to separate and untangle complex classical music or have the dynamics for rock."
A) What does power have to do with untangling complex music...you want an amp with high enough resolution to do this...and is not being driven into clipping. Given your listening levels you are unlikely to run into clipping with most music.
B) Most rock music has very little dynamics...period. There is a website that shows all the dynamic ranges of many popular music albums of the last 50 years and they are mostly heavily compressed.
I once attended a demo of a McIntosh system where they were touting their 2 or 3KW multi-chassis "monos" and huge speakers (95dB) in a very large conference room. The demo showed some pop music where it was quite loud and the needles on the Mc amps barely moved from 1 watt. Then the guy put on some track that had a gunshot recorded almost without compression and the needles hit 2KW! He then said, "See this is why you need this much power so you never clip". I said, "Actually, you demonstrated that with these speakers and most music you need very little power to play loud".
If the Jadis are doing a worse job of unraveling classical works it will be because of other factors (output transformers, drive circuit, feedback design etc. that affects distortion patterns when things get complex) than power.
The Magma DC coupling is only from the input and driver stages...the output is transformer coupled like nearly all SETs (there is a SET OTL from Transcendent sound but it is like 2 watts and Aries Cerat used to have a huge one that made 20 watts). Nothing to be afraid of...they just feel that coupling the input/driver stage to the output is more pure than using a capacitor or transformer...they are not the only ones who do this.
Because it is Gryphons current top speaker, and you have to use a current speaker if you want to market a brand !Why would anyone do that?
Ron is in it for the music !
Because it is Gryphons current top speaker, and you have to use a current speaker if you want to market a brand !
Thank you. But cones versus planars is just personal preference.
Next week Joe Cali is receiving his Kodos. I am looking forward to hearing them in his system!
Just OCD. I don't like letting everything get dusty.
It seems to me to be a relevant and predictive variable.
We will see with 60 watts does on my speakers at 95dB.
good point!
Thank you for explaining this. Something did not sound right about how I was thinking about DC in the output threatening loudspeakers.
What is your opinion on the sound of Magma amps with Eimac 450TH tube?
Have you ever heard of something going wrong with a Magma?
Hi Ron,
Well, power is just power...it has nothing to do with resolution...in fact most high power amps sound lower resolution IME. Probably the best sounding Jadis is actually the JA30 (haven't heard their SETs).
I only heard the Magmas once on a pair of Odeons in Munich...was very good sounding. I personally like NAT gear and have owned it in the past and heard many different models at a friends...just I find Aries Cerat to be better...more realistic.
Actually, the name of the amp indicates the output power with the largest possible usable tubes at Jadis.
Ja 100 =100watt
Ja 80= 80watt
Ja 30=30watt...etc
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
what year was that Ron? Are you sure about the set up? Cartridge wasnt a Koetsu?just trying to think back lol
Elliot G.
Industry Expert
I was there then and dont think we ever had a benz in the back room, I do remember the JA-200 and tthe rest.