Price Paid:  $12000.00

Summary:
As you can read, I have owned this preamp for quite awhile. It is actually the only component that still resides in my system from the time I first installed it. This Jadis has gone through much matching and mis-matching, often leaving me wondering if anomolies in the systems linkage was not it's responsibilty. Like many who move out of one component and into another, I speculated on what improvements I could gain by trading into the latest and most highly reviewed preamps and phono stages. With some systems, the Jadis seemed to diminish the lower octaves and limit the upper characters. On occassion, it would sound excessively warm or colored. At least these undesirables were assumed to be the fault of this preamps signature. But, when I assembled the system I presently own all my disatisfactions exited the door along with all the replaced components. First and foremost, coupling it with Avalon Eidelons and a Classe 301 exposed how remarable the Jadis was at reaching the requency extremes. This combo was soon bettered when I placed the uncomparable Cat JL1 LEs into the driver's seat. The musicality, speed, tautness of bottom end, extension in the high frequencies, width of image and depth of stage, liquidity, and most impressive, it's truth in timbre has made this system the best I have heard or lived with. This preamp, with NOS Telefunkens installed throughout and Fatboy power cord, has so little to criticize, that I, for probably the first time, just lay back and listen to the music. I must iterate, as I have in other reviews I have written, the importance of proper component synergy , and persistence of the listener to work at cabling, isolation, and most importantly, deletion of room anomolies, in order to extract the most out of any high-end component. I have most often adored this Jadis, but now, with it's new family co-wired, I am in complete awe and gratitude of the designers and their ears.

Strengths:
Ability to extract the music while maintaining detail and dileneation. Fantastic phono stage.

Weaknesses:
After over 5 years of ownership, going in out of other pieces of equipment, once mated with my present components, none! It kicks ass.

Similar Products Used:
Conrad johnson PV9, early generation CAT, MFA Luminesence, Klimo, Classe DR-9, Sonic frontiers, Krell Cast w/ Krell amp.