JADIS ELECTRONICS JP500 SE FOUR CHASSIS LINE STAGE
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An Audio French’s Pride
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It all started with one Frenchman’s quest to make a much more accurate sounding audio tube component which could bring back the emotion felt from the concert. That Frenchman, Andre Calmettes‘ prototypes, tube based power amplifiers, have wowed many and were considered better than most amplifiers then. Fueled with such encouragement, he participated in the foundation of the Jadis company in Villedubert at around 1983.
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The Secret Recipe Of Jadis Electronics
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It is common knowledge that the transformer is one of the single more important component in term of sound quality of any given tube amplifier, especially the output transformer.
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Here, Mr. Calmettes brought into the Jadis company, his own art in hand winding the transformer, and his own recipe of resin to be poured into it for maximum soundproofing and thermal stability. The above resulted in an “almost indestructible” transformer of high and stable specification at whatever the load imposed, impedance curve, type of function(s) and the efficiency of the acoustic speakers, “maximum acceptable power is 2500W before saturation”.
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Not satisfied by an “almost indestructible” transformer in his designs, Mr. Calmettes insisted that most of their amplification run in pure class A, strict selection of parts, and strict adherence to the Original Design and Specification.
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Comparatively, the Jadis company maintained a serious Research and Development department with laboratory equipped with the state of the art equipments that concentrate on Tube Electronic, Digital Audio and Psycho-Acoustic.
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In addition, the Jadis company have a Quality Control department to ensure the strictest of sound quality output, which is “colorless”(truthful) and “fantastic dynamic” throughout the bandwidth (from bass to treble), for all their products.
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Reminiscing From 2016
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I have known the brand like ever since I started the high end audio journey in 1991. Fate has it that in 2016, TK Han of Rave Audio Malaysia (also the Chieftain at Reference Audio Singapore) brought into my listening den the Jadis Electronics‘ Flagship Line Stage, the four chassis JP500 SE.
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In addition, TK Han told me that he would be bringing along Jean-Christophe Calmettes, the current Chief Designer of Jadis Electronics, and a potential high profile client to visit my audio den.
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Pleasure And Pressure…I have the JP500 SE for slightly more than two months to enjoy and run in before that very serious demonstration to the high profile customer of TK‘s and to Jean-Christophe.
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To cut the story short, the JP500 SE was impressive to look at and more impressive to listen to…that the high profile customer quickly asked that it be sent to his home,…and he bought it and had Jean-Christophe signed it!
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More Impressive To Listen To
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One could imagine the beauty/bling bling of an audio component with a chassis of clean surgical stainless steel, almost to a chrome finish look, and mixed that with twenty four gold plated brass. Then add French fine artistry and times four of that beauty for the four chassis of the JP500 SE…(for me) that was impressive to look at (stop here!).
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Throughout its entire stay here, the JP500 SE was connected to my reference amplification, Vitus Masterpiece MP-M201 (AF Ver.), and my then reference loudspeakers, the Gryphon Audio Pendragon.
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I remembered playing Marten Supreme Session 2 CD (Marten Recordings), and that the first thing that struck me was the presentation of an expansive and open soundstage. That recording contained details of the recording venue, which have given the JP500 SE the opportunity to present the spaciousness, the deep depth, and equally the wide width and high height of it.
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In my many years of audio exposure, not many line stages were that transparent to minute details of the surrounding/boundaries of the venue of a recording session.
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Some may argue that it is the music that is important and not so much the rest…I beg to differ. Playing The Syd Lawrence Orchestra “Big Band Spectacular!” (Chasing The Dragon VALDC 002), the JP500 SE proved to most that hearing and experiencing the recording venue, an old type church hall, together with all the airiness and atmosphere of its high ceiling, were part of the whole presentation, as intended by the producer.
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The other forte discovered as I spun the vinyl album, Count Basie And His Orchestra “Me and You” (Pablo 2310-891), was that even though the musicians were in multitude, they were well separated, individualized with three dimensionality and, floated within a neat and tidy soundstage.
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At another Count Basie vinyl album, Count Basie Big Band “Farmers Market Barbecue” (Pablo 2310-874) LP, it was obvious that the musicians were imaged without harsh etch or over emphasis, but cut out with clear and natural delineation.
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In term of a solo act, I found Vanessa Fernandez in her debut album, “Use Me” (Groove Note GRV 150-1) being the lead vocalist, was imaged with solidity, palpability, body and refinement. There were that weight and presence in her voice that resulted in a sensation of her body standing out and separated from the accompanying musicians
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It was not to be misunderstood that the accompanying musicians were not treated the same as the lead artist. On the contrary, to me the JP500 SE has that high transparency to the source recording and presented the actual space and actual distance between the accompanying musicians’ respective body and Vanessa’s body, and the recording engineer’s intention.
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In a recording that involved a number of musicians whom played energetically, powerfully, and each with the opportunity to lead, as in T.Misago And His Tokyo Cuban Boys “Excitin’ Latin!” (Toshiba Records LF-95013), I found the JP500 SE presented each musician’s moment with clear segregation of body, style, artistry and instrument used. Here, there were clear distinctions in weight, power, body and scale of the instrument used by the musicians. Even the differences in the energy transients and quantum were clearly presented. Simply, the differences of the mid bass and the low bass, and their respective difference in transient and quantum were articulately presented and felt.
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There was a lot of happenings in that recording that could easily fazed and drown most line stages, irrespective of price…not the JP500 SE!
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Almost on the same note, the JP500 SE‘s high resolution/high transparency covered the entire intended frequencies bandwidth. At a presentation that was more busy, as in Murray Head “One Night In Bangkok” (RCA PD-13959 Single), even the lower to low notes (like the higher notes) were never drown, but remained articulate, with certain bounciness, good PRaT (Pace, Rhythm and Tempo) and powerful dynamic bass.
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In other words, given the right material, the JP500 SE has that “Jump Factor” ability to throw the listener off the seat, in amazement.
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MISSED IT ALREADY!
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Although I owned some very fine line stages from both solid state and tube camps, the feeling for the JP500 SE still lingered within me. Due to that lingering feeling and the notes from listening to it, I have decided to complete those notes (from 2016) into this review (just in case the readers were wondering?).
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In term of sound quality, the JP500 SE has proven to me that a very proper and ultra end tube design need not suffer the commonly assumed tube weaknesses. I believe its extreme low noise floor contributed to its high transparency from the lowest of frequency (bass) to the highest of frequency (treble) of the source material…all the way to the very Heart of the Music!?..an already classic audio component!
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Website: jadis-electronics.com
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