Jadis Orchestra Reference Tube Integrated Amplifier

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. Regarding the Orchestra Reference, this lovely amplifier offers the quality of construction and sound quality Jadis is famous for. - Galen Carol

Jadis – The emotion of music.

While many components faithfully recreate the notes of a musical score, what is often lacking is the emotion. Jadis is rare in its ability to convey the emotion, realizing a true sense of involvement with the music.
 

The JADIS Company is the fruit of the profound passion of André Calmettes. For years he devoted himself to researching audio component design with the aim of recreating the emotion he felt during a concert. With his passion he created prototypes that stunned the local audio community and who unanimously agreed the compared to the best amplifiers available at that time.

Encouraged by this success, Mr. Calmettes decided in 1983 to establish the JADIS Company. In the beginning, the amplifier was manufactured unit by unit, from the original plans, but popularity of the brand soon required Mr. Calmettes to train a few select technicians to increase. Still today Jadis components are hand crafted by a small, dedicated group of technicians who carry on the original design philosophies.


The performance of any tube amplifier is dictated by the quality of the transformers it employs. So critical is this part that Jadis constructs transformers 100% in house at their Ville dubert facility. Transformers are hand wound then encased in a special resin to increase thermal stability and decrease vibration. In addition, the transformers are oversized for application, insuring maximum stability regardless of load.

Enhancing the sound quality is the beautiful esthetic design of Jadis products. The chassis are formed from surgical grade stainless steel to provide a mirror-like finish that does not degrade over time. The gold accent face plates are solid brass, plated with 24 carat gold.

Vacuum tubes are tested for performance and reliability, then carefully match to the requirements of the product in which they are to be used. So careful is the grading and matching, that when new tubes are needed, simply supply serial number and Jadis will supply a precisely matched replacement.

The Orchestra displays stainless steel chassis with tubes mounted on ceramic sockets with golden pins. It has 4 EL34 tubes mounted in push-pull which are driven by 2 ECC83. This is the result of a very thorough study undertaken by Jadis with one main objective: to make a product with all the essential qualities of a high-end device at a reasonable price.
 

REVIEWS:
 

"My first impression, gathered while driving the Orchestra Reference's auxiliary inputs with Shindo Laboratory's Aurieges Equalizer Amplifier (ie, phono preamp) and using the Jadis to drive my very sensitive Altec Valencia speakers, was that this humblest Jadis integrated sounded a lot like the Jadis I-35. The sounds of both amps were characterized by a full but reasonably explicit bottom, a richly colorful midrange, and a sense of grand spatial scale. More important, both displayed reasonably good musical drive and excellent musical timing: When I used the less-expensive Jadis to play the title song of Procol Harum's Broken Barricades (LP, Chrysalis ILPS 9158), I was impressed by how well it portrayed Gary Brooker's nuanced phrasing as he sang "the presses are empty / the editors, torn," and by the manner in which the Jadis put across the always-scintillating drumming of the late B.J. Wilson. And on a fine new reissue of the LaSalle Quartet's recording of Beethoven's String Quartet 15, Op.132 (LP, Deutsche Grammophon/Speakers Corner 2530 728), the realistically sweet timbres left me with the aural equivalent of a sugar high—yet not an overdose.

"But the sound of the Jadis was more than a mere tone feast. Just a few bars into the first movement of the Beethoven quartet, the Orchestra Reference made no secret of its dynamic expressiveness, owing to an apparently greater transient speed than I recall hearing from its more expensive stablemate. And the steady, stately way in which the Orchestra played the melody and chorale-like harmonies of the Molto adagio was further testament to its superb musical timing.

"... rest assured that the Jadis Orchestra Reference Mk.II is extremely unlikely to disappoint the music-loving, tone-loving audiophile who owns a pair of reasonably sensitive, easy-to-drive loudspeakers. Strongly recommended." - Art Dudley, Stereophile

"First and foremost, the amp's musical performance was flawless... it was about as perfectly balanced an amp as I ever heard. For a (mostly) tube integrated of this performance to sell for under $5,000 is noteworthy. Strongly recommended."
- Art Dudley, Stereophile, December 2015

"This is one of those amplifiers that offer fantastic sound no matter what you play. […] It gives you a perfect sense of space, openness and airiness and a very dynamic sound. You will hear every single note as clearly as possible. When listening to your favorite music with this amp, you truly experience it as if you were witnessing a live performance..." - Jadis Amplifiers: Delicate Warmth of France
 

Web reviews:

http://www.hifilive.es/2014/09/23/jadis-orchestra-reference-se-2

http://www.audiophilia.com/wp/?p=5664

http://hangzasvilag.hu/jadis-orchestra-csoves-sztereo-erosito/

http://www.stereophile.com/content/jadis-orchestra-reference-mkii-integrated-amplifier#AYZO03RGT66H6VIm.97

SPECIFICATIONS:

• Type: Integrated amplifier with optional remote control
• Bias: Adjustable
• Power: 40W class-B
• Inputs: 5 line input
• Outputs: 2 speaker output (for bi-wiring)
• Bandwidth: 5Hz to 60kHz @-3dB
• Sensitivity: 250mV
• Tube Compliment: 4 x EL34, 2 x ECC83
• Dimensions: 53 x 27 x 20 cm
• Weight: 20 kg