Jadis I70 Class A Full Tube Integrated Amplfier

Description

Jadis: For a long time now, we’ve been thinking about developing a new reference mixing compact design  and increased performances…and KT170 tube comes, giving the starting signal of  I-70 project. This integrated is not only  designed in the pure tradition with point to point wiring and hand made transformer it’s  the first to integrate several features from Jadis mono- block technology. From power supply point of view, power stage has a full separated supply makes it totally independent. Driver and power stage separated  means a power stage not influenced by the other one, so 100 available.  Stabilized filament voltage eliminating inducted noise. A huge power transformer has been designed to bring dynamic and pulse power. Due to its fully new designed output transformer I-70 works in a single push-pull ultra linear with triple load configuration and  then equipped with two KT170 per channel.

KT170 is a powerful tube but we prefer to take advantage of its feature to reduce distortion instead of simply   focusing on its power, by choosing a functioning point different than usual.

REVIEWS:

Hi-Fi+: "Jadis is a French audio electronics manufacturer based in Villedubert, just to the east of Carcassonne in Southern France. It specialises in valve-based audio and as such has a strong focus on amplification. Next year, the company will be celebrating its 40th year, and if it makes something better than the I70 integrated amplifier to celebrate that anniversary, it’s going to be one of the best products on the planet because this tidy one-box, line-level 50W amplifier is already one of the best in the business!

"Fortunately, I’ve no need to hold back on criticism because there’s nothing but good here. This is a wonderful sounding integrated amplifier, a near-perfect blend of insight into the system and into the music itself. It doesn’t lay either bare, but neither does it throw the equipment or the music into soft focus. There’s a sense of rightness about everything from the imaging to the dynamic range to the vividness of those living souls that seem to appear in front of you whenever the I70 is playing. Whether the Jadis is tasked with playing the most saccharine of Mozart confections or some heads down bangin’ Techno, whether it’s the focus of a string quartet or a raw and raucous 1970s proto-punk band just being angry for a few minutes, the I70 handles that music like a conservator; just letting the music be itself for a while. It doesn’t fall into that warm and softly spoken sound we associate with valve amps and it doesn’t sound slow, stentorian and statesman-like; it’s fast, resolving and most of all fun.

"Yeah, not much to criticise here.

"The track that sealed the deal for me was ‘Piece of My Heart’ from Cheap Thrills by Big Brother and the Holding Company; where Janis Joplin’s mesmerising vocal power just steamrollers you. It’s an easy track to get wrong, either making it all about her vocal assault on your ears, or making her voice more controlled and constrained. She needs to be able to sing at full throat and the sheer dynamism and energy of the I70, coupled with its outstanding speed made that happen so perfectly, it was one of those “let’s just play that again” repeat moments.

"Another, resolutely no audiophile track that I play for the sheer enjoyment is Louis Armstrong’s ‘West End Blues’ (from the Hot Fives and Sevens compilation). From the fanfare at the beginning to the slow fade, the intervening 96 years since the recording just fade away, but they fade a lot easier if the system is really communicating the energy of the music and not simply some textbook accuracy.

"I’m making this sound like the I70 is only good for dynamic, powerful musical performances, but that’s absolutely not the case. I fed so many different pieces of music through this amplifier just for the fun of it. That I did this during the height of summer which made for a sweltering experience at times was simply the price I paid for the enjoyment. The fact that earlier I dismissed a lot of Mozart as ‘saccharine’ suggests I am not a big fan, but I played his Horn Concerto No 4 and thoroughly enjoyed it in a way I rarely do (OK, I didn’t ‘air canter’ around the room at the start of the last movement, but I was tempted).

"It’s not just the soundstaging, or the dynamic range, or the detail or the articulation (all of which are superb). It’s not about the micro-dynamics and filigree bits of music that are communicated so well here. It’s not even about that outstanding leading-edge precision and speed. It’s how all those things combine in an organic manner to make so satisfying a musical experience you just want more.

"We’re very much into the whole ‘metropolitan’ experience here. We want to be able to squeeze that quart into a pint pot; the ability to make the sound you might get from large loudspeakers and multiple-box amplifiers in a package that someone might be able to use in a typical New York apartment or Parisian pied-à-terre. And in that light, the I70 is nigh on perfect!

"The sound it makes is so beguiling, so enjoyable and so musically ‘right’ that I simply couldn’t help listen no matter what the ambient temperature. This is quite simply one of the best sounding amplifiers I have ever heard."- Alan Sircom

HiFiPig: "The Jadis I70 Integrated Amplifier is finished in the well known Jadis gold and silver. I’ve been looking forward to this amplifier arriving since we chatted with the guys from Jadis at the Paris show way back in October of 2021. For those of you that don’t know, Jadis is a French valve amplifier
manufacturer based in Villedubert, South East of Toulouse in France. The company launched in 1983 following the success of prototypes built by André Calmettes and a desire to build amplifiers based on his philosophy for a wider audience.

"If you thought valve amplifiers were all about a softer, less speedy and more laidback presentation then this amplifier will certainly have you re-evaluating that misconception. This is as dynamic an amplifier as I have had the pleasure of using and I’m not sure that anything that I’ve reviewed betters it in this respect. With the Jazz music and Techno I’ve mentioned so far, there’s a feeling that the I70 is able to respond to dynamic changes in the music immediately and this adds to the excitement and on-the-edge-of-your-seat expectation of what is coming next. In short, so far, I’d be lying if I described the experience of this amplifier
(with these speakers) as anything but breathtaking. It may seem sacrilegious to have a high-end amp and speakers playing the kind of acid-house/techno that I have been playing but I found myself reverting to listening to this kind of music a great deal with my time with this amp and I think this is because of the
dynamism and small elements in the mix it brings to the fore.

"I make absolutely no apologies for my gushing review of this amplifier, it is absolutely wonderful and ticks all the right emotional connection boxes for me. Had it been a power amplifier rather than an integrated I’d have been having a conversation with Jadis about buying the review sample. As it is, I need to have a
separate power and preamplifier for review purposes. The JA80 that can use the KT150 tube (amongst others) does look tempting, but this is a case of “once bitten, forever smitten” for me and when a standalone stereo version of this comes out I may well be having that conversation and blow the leccy bill.
What this amplifier does exceptionally well is managing to balance a tremendously dynamic performance with a hugely detailed and nuanced presentation. The amplifier reacts immediately to the need for power and this brings a fantastically exciting listening experience with all kinds of music. Whether you are listening to Dub Reggae, Techno, Acid, Rock, Jazz or choral music the I70 doesn’t miss a trick." - Stuart Smith

AT A GLANCE-

Build Quality and Features: Beautifully put together and finished Looks are a bit blingy
Sound Quality: Read the review – sonically, I cannot fault this amplifier at all with dynamic and nuanced with the music
coming from a dead quiet background
Value For Money: It’s a chunk of money but you don’t need to buy a preamplifier is how I’d justify the cost when the internal
negotiations start Performance-wise this amplifier is good value for the asking price, and whilst this sounds outrageous for an
Jadis I70 Integrated Valve Amplifier.
 

SPECIFICATIONS:

Type: Integrated amplfier with remote control
Bias: Automatic
Power: 50 W
Inputs: 5 lines, 1 Bypass output, 2 speaker output ( for bi-wiring)
Bandwidth: 10Hz - 36KHz @-3dB
Sensibility: 150 mV
Tubes: 4xKT170, 2xECC83, 3xECC82
Dimensions: 40 x 40 x 25.5 cm
Weight: 40 KG
Power consumption: 500 VA