Tír Na HiFi

Yes, the increase in bass output and a more pronounced front row perspective were two things I really noticed moving from my Constellation Audio to the Jadis.  These are two areas that synergistic partners with Kharma speakers seem to thrive on.  The natural character of Kharma can be somewhat laid-back so you really need an amp and source that are capable of counteracting this tendency in order to bring out the best in the speaker.  

Your experience and feedback with the JA200 is useful here, Steve, particularly if I feel the temptation to upgrade further up the Jadis line in a few years' time.  I certainly don't have the room for the 2-chassis JA200 but the JA120 or the SE845nec are certainly possibilities.  The latter is the favourite amp of the technical director at Jadis, Jean-Christophe Calmettes, but he appears to prefer more efficient speakers than my Kharmas which would influence his choice of favoured amp.  The Kharma Mini is very deceptive in its power requirements and requires more quality power than its published specifications would suggest (and it certainly responds extremely well to the 90 Class A watts that the I-88 provides) so perhaps the JA120 might be a better choice when the upgrade itch kicks in again in a few years' time.  And by that time I imagine that there will be a Mk2 with the KT150s as standard.

Another thing that pleased me was the moderate heat output.  Coming from a background of cool-running solid-state amps, I was concerned about the manageability of the heat output of the I-88 but it is certainly running cooler than I expected.  You mention how warm your JA200s run, but in the Stereophile review of the new JA200 mk2s, the reviewer mentions that they run much cooler than his reference Pass Labs XA200.8s.

I understand that you moved from Kharma CRM 3.2FE to Sonus Faber Amati Futura.  How have you enjoyed your time with these speakers (in comparison to the Kharmas) over the last few years?  Have you ever been tempted by the Franco Serblin Ktemas (which are, apparently, a dream match with Jadis) or, indeed, a move back to Kharma?

I hope the upgrade itch takes more than just a few years to kick in!! Certainly sounds like you've got some excellent synergies going as it is, particularly with the addition of your new Esoteric source. The SE845nec's must be relatively new in the Jadis lineup? Don't think I've heard much about them before. Interesting to hear the view of JC Calmettes. I think you have a point in that the lower power output might certainly restrict the types of speaker that work well with them.

On the heat output of the JA200's, I wouldn't say the temperature of the chassis gets as blisteringly hot as the heatsinks on some of the big solid state Class A arc welders from say Pass Labs or Krell. But overall, there is still a fairly noticeable thermal output from the mains transformers and particularly the 20 x KT120's. Enough I would say to notice in the room over a long session, although not enough to make things uncomfortable.

I did indeed read up on the Ktema's at the time of moving from the CRM3.2FE's to the Amati Futura's. But didn't get a chance to audition them. Interesting to hear about the synergy with Jadis.

I've really enjoyed the Futura's. In comparision to the CRM3.2FE's, I found they provided a much larger scale soundstage, in all three dimensions. Which is really what I wanted. Naturally being a much larger cabinet they possessed a deeper, more extended bottom end. And had a sweeping midrange coherence that brought great emotion into the mix. The startlingly life-like vocals rendered a beautiful natural image. I had enjoyed the Kharma's for many years but really wanted to move to a bigger, room-filling presentation and the Amati's delivered very well.

Having said that, I then moved house just about a year ago. The Amati's now find themselves in a bigger room and with a higher vaulted ceiling. That sense of scale has thus diminished a little. Being very happy with all other aspects, I took the opportunity to audition the Sonus Faber Il Cremonese earlier this year. This is a significantly taller cabinet again and so was very interested to hear them in comparison to the Futura's. During the audition, I also took the opportunity to hear the Wilson Audio Alexia's. Which was probably a mistake.. I had heard a number of Wilson models before but wasn't their greatest fan. However, the Alexia's were a different proposition altogether. I found them to be extremely impressive. Their scale was in a different league and most strinkingly for me, their sense of natural transparency, the airy separation they gave to each strand was uncanny. They left me thinking that all else sounded congested and cluttered in comparision. As I said, auditioning them was probably a mistake!

Interesting to hear your thoughts, Steve.  I should really have written "if I get the upgrade itch" rather than "when ...".  To be honest, this is just idle speculation about upgrade moves that I might never make.  The last couple of years have been expensive for me but I am so very glad I took a long hard look at my system and I am in a really good place right now.  There is fanastic synergy between the speakers, amp and CD player and the emotional detachment that prompted the series of upgrades has been well and truly addressed.

Wih regard to speakers, the Franco Serblin line of speakers have been picked up by Absolute Sounds so an audition should be relatively straightforward.  The Sonus Faber Il Cremonese is an interesting speaker and a number of SF Homage owners online are bypassing the current Tradition line in favour of the Il Cremonese.  One speaker line that apparently enjoys good synergy with Jadis is Magico whose S3 mk2 has been paired with great success with both the I-88 and the JA120 and the much more expensive M3 with the JA200.  I imagine the new Wilson Audio models, Alexia 2 and Sasha DAW, are also very good.  The priority, I would say, is finding a speaker that integrates well within your room and with your existing system.  I have a small- to medium -sized room (4 by 4 metres) and my priority, quite simply, was to find the very best cost-no-object two-way speaker that would fit in my room (without excessive bass response) and which would offer me the greatest long-term satisfaction and the Kharma Exquisite Mini was just perfect for my requirements (given my past experience with the DB7).

The Alexia 2 is quite a hike in price in comparison to the other speakers and I can understand your regret after auditoning it.  I think it can be a mistake to audition components that are utterly unrealistic (although I would have said the same about the Kharma Exquisite Mini a couple of years ago) but it can also be instructive.  Sometimes you hear a component that startles you and moves you in unexpected ways and I believe it can be worthwhile to start making plans in that direction.  Looking at components that are at a similar price level to your existing system may be attractive because they are more accessible in the short term.  It can be worthwhile, however, to stretch the budget and make plans for that dream component  because, I think, they will ensure more long-term satisfaction.  Personally speaking, the Kharma Mini is very expensive for a relatively small speaker but I have found it to be a sublimely engaging speaker which touches me on a profound level and that kind of satisfaction is beyond price.

Interesting read up and good luck with the new gear you have there. :)

Would be interesting for me, to hear some of that which your are talking about, but I doubt if even going to happen.
I hear briefly Tony's Jadis, but I couldn't make any opinion on it, was too distracted with other things. :)

Many thanks for your kind words, Georgi.

All good points there! I did get a brief opportunity to listen to Magico S3's a number of years back. At least pretty sure they were S3's, it would have been the 1st gen model. Driven by Audio Research. Certainly a very clean, neutral presentation, perhaps a little too clinical (?) For me, at that time, I preferred the involvement and scale the Amati Futura's gave. Of course, all a matter of preferences..

Would indeed agree that it can be a great and informative experience to audition kit that may not necessarily have been in the reckoning when contemplating upgrade options. Having been very satisfied with the Amati Futura's and just wanting a bit more scale in the larger room, I was pretty sure auditioning the Il Cremonese would tick the box and that would be that. Adding in the WA Alexia's to the auditioning list was simply a result of curiousity on how the Wilson sound may have evolved with the introduction of newer models which now featured a smoother tweeter than the WATT Puppy's of old. Rather than the new Alexia 2's, this was a set of ex-dem Alexia 1's that the dealer had to hand. So not at list price levels of the newer 2nd series.

As I mentioned above, I found them to be extremely impressive. An unexpected pleasure and one that, as you say, was quite startling! It certainly left me thinking and planning in a new direction through the year.