Lindemann’s Musicbook family is designed to replace all or part of the various components in a hi-fi system. It comprises four items of equipment, including two power units, an all-in-one and a DAC streamer preamplifier. It is this last piece of equipment, of very high quality and impeccable finish, like all the other elements in this family, that interests us here: the Lindemann Musicbook Source 2.
Called the Lindemann Musicbook Source 2, it lives up to its name. In fact, this little box aims to be THE single, universal source for the installation. Note that, to be able to use the oldest sources, it can be fitted with an optional integrated CD player.
In its basic version, it already boasts a wealth of connections and particularly advanced functions. An unusual feature of this type of equipment is that the Musicbook Source 2 has a phono input. It thus establishes a real bridge between the oldest physical media and the dematerialised world. To stay in the world of analogue sources, two RCA ‘Line’ level inputs are also available.
An optical and a coaxial input are also available for digital sources. In addition, a USB-A port is dedicated to playing music files stored on portable media, in particular USB sticks. It can also handle a portable CD-ROM drive to act as a CD player. Finally, an Ethernet port on an RJ-45 socket or a Wi-Fi link will enable it to perform its function as a network player.
However, the quality of a DAC is essentially determined by the converters it uses. This is where the Source 2 breaks new ground. The digital streams applied to its inputs are converted to DSD 256 streams, whatever their original format. This resampling process, based on delta-sigma conversion, uses a special AK4137 processor. As a result, the resolution is 256 times higher than that of a conventional CD.
Digital/analogue conversion is handled by an AK4493 converter. A component with an established reputation for extremely low distortion. What’s more, in order to limit interaction between channels, each channel has its own converter. This architecture, known as double mono or monaural, prevents the appearance of crosstalk and thus preserves all the precision of the spatial definition of the sound message.
Finally, the analogue stages of the Source 2 have been further optimised compared with those of previous equipment offered by Lindemann. Based on high-quality components, they ensure that the finesse and purity of the sound signal are preserved thanks to their particularly low noise level and extremely low distortion rate. We noted that the Source 2 has a headphone output. It is designed to handle any headphones with an impedance of between 16 and 200 ohms. This headphone output gives the Source 2 a degree of autonomy, allowing you to benefit from its services without having to link it to other components.
A free Android and iOS compatible app is available. Simply install it on a smartphone or tablet to take full advantage of the Source 2’s capabilities. It also provides easy access to music streaming services such as Tidal, Qobuz, Deezer, Highresaudio and now Spotify Connect.
The set up
The Musicbook Source 2 is the preamplifier and converter-streamer in the Musicbook family. Unlike the Combo, you still need to add a power amp if you want to connect it to speakers, and why not simply with the third product in the Musicbook series: the Power 2. A true all-rounder, the Musicbook Source 2 can be easily integrated into a mid-range or high-end system thanks to its three analogue inputs.
For our part, we tried out all these configurations as well as a desktop DAC, listening to dematerialised music through headphones, either via the internal streamer (and therefore the proprietary application and Audirvana), or by plugging in a key via the USB 2.0 input, or simply by launching music from Qobuz on our iPhone via Bluetooth.
The sound of the LINDEMANN Musicbook Source 2
A top-of-the-range product from Lindemann, a manufacturer that had already convinced us with the quality of its small Network 2 streamer (VUmètre no. 44), the Musicbook Source 2 goes much further, not only in terms of modularity, but also in terms of sound. Based on an AKM AK4493 chip, this source takes advantage of the Japanese manufacturer’s conversion to produce a very fine, well-detailed sound.
Less clean than a Sabre conversion on an ESS chip, the AKM conversion is gentler, with a slightly less dynamic rendering than the more high-end ESS9038 PRO or AK4499, but with a very similar level of detail and timbres that are just as well respected. Combined with a streaming section that has also been very well worked on and high-frequency Femto clocks, the conversion is particularly convincing when combined with the internal streamer, although it also delivers very good results with a USB stick or even Bluetooth.
In preamp use, the addition of sources (a network player and a CD player) and a Rega Planar 3 turntable with MM cartridge demonstrates all the Musicbook Source 2’s qualities of neutrality and noise reduction. Only connectable to RCA via small terminals, it develops a sound devoid of impurity, which does not aim for too wide a soundstage, but brings the elements together in a very well controlled atmosphere.
As for the phono section, available exclusively for preamplifying moving-magnet cartridges, it’s more than worth the hundreds of euros that go into phono preamps. And what’s even more interesting, given that it has a pleasant knob on the top for adjusting the volume at will, the Musicbook particularly appealed to us as a desktop source.
Compared to a headphone amp costing several thousand euros, the Source 2 is almost as warm and creates a very fine sound and musical finesse, almost on a par with our stand-alone headphone amp, even though it is connected to XLR by Audioquest Pegasus interconnect cables, also costing several thousand euros!
Our conclusion
Highly modular, the Musicbook Source 2 is just waiting to be integrated into any system to deliver a consistently fine, neutral sound. Musical in its conversion, it is also very pure in the construction of its circuits and clocks. Whether used as a preamp, MM phono preamp or as a DAC and network player, it will always be able to create music devoid of affectation, rendered in beautiful timbres. Thanks to its 6.35 mm plug on the front and its rotary control, this top-of-the-range source from the German manufacturer will also delight headphone users with the quality of its amplification, powerful even with the most power-hungry headphones.
Author: Estève Fabry
Technical sheet: LINDEMANN Musicbook Source 2
Origin: Germany
Price : €3,990 (without CD) €4,390 (with CD)
Dimensions : 280 x 220 x 63 mm
Weight : 2.6 kg
Resolution: 768 kHz/32 bits, DSD 512
PCM resolution : 44.1 kHz up to 384 kHz, 24bit (WLAN up to 192 kHz)
DSD resolution : DSD 64 and up to DSD 256 (WLAN up to DSD 128)
After the first Node, Node 2 and Node 3, here comes the Bluesound Node X, created to celebrate the brand’s tenth anniversary. Offered as a time-limited version, this new opus has plenty of convincing qualities. So give it a listen before you let yourself be seduced!
The aesthetics have not changed one iota, apart from the presence of a 6.35 mm plug in the centre of the front panel. But the big technical advances are on the inside. The Node X boasts some decisive technological improvements, starting with a new digital-to-analogue converter from the ESS catalogue, the famous Sabre in its ESS 9028Q2M version. This offers an even lower jitter rate, ultra-low noise and distortion.
The central jack reveals the presence of a high-end headphone amplifier that uses the THX Achromatic Audio Module (THX AAATM) with patented error correction to deliver infinitely low levels of noise, distortion and power consumption. Thanks to this new feature, the Node X is positioned as a more complete device.
Elegance is evident in the all-glass capacitive touch controls.
Node X features an intuitive touch point for quick access to controls such as play, pause, track skip and volume. One-touch presets are available on the product itself, or using the included Bluesound RC1 remote control. The Node X continues to support external DACs via its optical, coaxial or USB Audio 2.0 digital outputs.
You’ll also be able to experience multi-room listening as the Node X takes advantage of the BluOS platform, the only one in the world capable of supporting up to 64 rooms while streaming high-resolution audio at up to 24-bit.
Node X supports a wide range of digital inputs and outputs, and the wi-fi, Ethernet, Apple AirPlay 2, aptX HD Bluetooth, 3.5 mm aux-in, HDMI eARC or USB Type A connectors let you drive audio from streaming services, TVs, games consoles or a personal music library. Stream music to your system via stereo RCA, optical, coaxial and USB outputs, and even to wireless headphones via Bluetooth, in aptX HD quality.
The set up
Bluesound’s installation protocol is particularly well honed. As we all know by now, the manufacturer has developed an efficient, stable and musical application that makes all the difference. Connecting the Node X to the system is particularly simple. An Ethernet cable, a mains cable, a modulation link, and that’s it. Chances are your network player will ask you for an update when you first use it. All you have to do is install it. Everything goes through the app, including access to your favourite music platforms.
The sound of the Bluesound Node X
We really like the latest versions of the Node for their muscular, accurate reproduction. For a long time, this device has been a benchmark for its particularly successful reproduction at its price point. If you liked the first version, the arrival of the new Node X won’t put you off. You’ll be delighted by the muscular yet nuanced reproduction. The differences are subtle, but their effect is noticeable.
For example, there’s a subtle increase in resolving power. Across the entire bandwidth, there is greater detail in both the diction of the singers and the playing of the instruments. This is particularly palpable on an acoustic score. For example, the exploration of low notes by a double bass reveals greater intensity, harmonic richness and openness. On a violin, the pizzicati are tense but never acidic. You get the impression of being able to listen a little louder and more comfortably. The overall balance is slightly more mineral than organic.
This is undoubtedly due to the change in the converter chip, which is more piquant and refined. Generally speaking, the new Node X will allow you to dive deeper into the richness of your recordings. Whether in terms of spatial reproduction, timbre or dynamic behaviour, it is subtly but noticeably more effective and capable of immersing you more intensely in the musical content. It retains the proverbial qualities of the original, but goes further and higher.
Our conclusion
The Node X is a success. It remains the benchmark for network players under €1,000. It does justice to beautiful systems by offering a completely musical view of your high-res files. Not to mention that its proprietary application is a model of ease of use. There’s an old saying: you don’t change a winning team. Bluesound has cleverly turned a benchmark into a new one.
Author: Pierre Fontaine
Technical sheet: BLUESOUND Node X
Origin: Canada
Price : €799
Dimensions : 220 x 46 x 146 mm
Weight : 1.14 kg
DAC: ESS 9028Q2M Sabre DAC
SNR: -118 dB
THD + N: 0.0003
Audio inputs/outputs : Optical, analogue, HDMI eARC OUT; optical, analogue, coaxial, USB; 6.35 mm headphone jack
Controls : Full-size glass top panel, capacitive touchscreen
Processor/platform: ARM® CortexTM -A53 Quad-Core, 1.8 GHz per core; BluOS Gen 3
Engstrom has set itself the mission of rediscovering the softness and serenity of the best tube amplifiers. To achieve this, the small Swedish family business set up in 2008 drew its inspiration from radio cabinets and the electronics that went into them in the 1960s and 1970s. This specificity gives this tube amplifier a rather surprising and spectacular design, which immediately sets it apart from the competition – just like its behaviour. What’s more, the Engstrom Arne will delight fans of the famous 300B tube and the exceptional musicality for which it is renowned.
To preserve the smallest details of the sound signal and allow it to express itself fully, Engstrom has chosen to offer the Arne a symmetrical architecture combined with an amplification chain with no feedback. While the configuration of the power stages determines the final temperament of an amplifier, the upstream signal processing, and therefore the preamplification sections, play a fundamental role and have a considerable impact on its behaviour. The same applies to the driver stages, whose job is to drive the output tube push-pulls.
Another vital element is the power supply. Its mission is not limited to supplying energy to the various sections in all circumstances, and in particular during the current surges associated with the most pronounced bursts of dynamic range. The voltages delivered to the various stages must be stable, clean and not interact.
To create the Engstrom Arne’s input stage, Engstrom used two Siemens D3a pentodes, connected as triodes on each channel. They are fed symmetrically from negative and positive voltages. The signal is applied via an input transformer that balances it, whether it comes from a balanced input on an XLR socket or an unbalanced input on an RCA socket. The signal then passes through a 48-step Khozmo resistor attenuator, which acts as a volume control. Finally, it goes to the driver stages of the 300B.
This section has been completely redesigned. Entirely rethought, it has an even better controlled distortion rate and ensures more efficient control of the 300Bs. Output transformers, based on a silicon/iron ‘C’ core architecture, provide the final impedance matching required to drive conventional 4 or 8 ohm loudspeakers. All these amplification sections work in a perfectly linear fashion, so there is no need for any feedback device.
As we said, Engstrom has taken particular care with the amplifier’s power supply so that these 300B-based stages can express their full potential. It is divided into two sections, each based on a huge toroidal transformer. The first powers the preamplifier section and driver stage, while the second powers the 300B push-pulls. In addition to high-value capacitors, the filtering of these power supplies uses Lundahl chokes to perfectly smooth the voltages applied to the amplifier and driver stages as well as to the power push-pull. Note that in order to deliver 20 W at 8 ohms and 30 W at 4 ohms, the 300Bs are supplied with 400 V plate voltage.
Similarly, for absolute purity of reproduction, their filament is fed continuously. These tubes are therefore pushed to the limit. These values should therefore be taken into account when changing 300Bs to assess the impact that each brand can have on the final reproduction.
As far as connectivity is concerned, the Arne remains fairly conventional. On the input side, there are two pairs of XLR and RCA sockets for problem-free connection to analogue sources, in both balanced and unbalanced modes. The same applies to the outputs. There are two pairs of WBT terminals, capable of accepting banana plugs, forks or even large cross-section cables directly. All these connectors are of very high quality.
Finally, the Engström Arne has a finish that may come as a surprise. Its rather imposing cabinet has an asymmetrical shape. While most of the chassis remains fairly conventional, the upper part of the cabinet is made up of a glass section that protects the four 300Bs and the four input triodes while allowing the user to admire them. A succession of curves and linear zones, this unusual design confirms Arne’s desire to assert its personality and make a clean break with tradition. What’s more, because Engström produces its products by hand, it can offer a vast range of finishes and even the option of personalising them.
The set up
In terms of size, this amplifier has all the superlatives. It’s wide, it’s deep, it’s high, it’s heavy and it heats up. In short, it needs to be placed on top of a piece of furniture, or better still, on a freestanding shelf where it can stand alone. The support must be stable and rigid, because we are dealing with tube electronics. And tubes mean microphonic effect. The stand must therefore be capable of filtering out vibrations as much as possible to ensure that the device operates in the best possible conditions. As far as the cables are concerned, we didn’t feel there were any particular contraindications.
The only thing we have to insist on is the quality of the mains cable. And above all, the quality of the associated sources. It’s vital to provide this amp with the best possible sources, both analogue and digital. Finally, when it comes to loudspeakers, please refer to the last paragraph in the listening section.
The sound of the Engstrom Arne
If you read its technical specifications alone, this amplifier is far too expensive. On the other hand, if you take the time to install it properly and listen to it in an environment that suits it best, it’s impossible not to fall deeply under its spell. And why is that? I can only try to give you some of the answers. Because his power of seduction goes beyond words. And in all sincerity, in a society in which everything is planned, thought out and calculated, it does a world of good… The very first sensation that spontaneously springs to mind is that of presence, and more particularly the sensation that the musicians are there!
During the system warm-up and adjustment period, I often leave the auditorium with the sound at a realistic level. Then I go about my business. You’ve probably already done this test of listening to a system while being in the room next door. It’s very interesting, especially when you’re using acoustic messages with little or no processing. In this case, I had Ahmad Jamal’s Marseille album playing on a loop. And at one point, I really had the impression that musicians had moved into the room. It was unsettling. That’s how I wanted to refer to presence, in the sense of being there as the Anglo-Saxons say.
Not only does the Arne offer us an unprecedented vision of the density of timbres, but it also couples this value with a completely unaccustomed impression of binding. The recorded music flows uninterrupted, with an admirably orchestrated sequence of notes and impeccable transitions. In yoga, it is said that the sequence of postures is just as important as the quality of the postures themselves. The Engstrom family must often indulge in this discipline to have succeeded in developing a machine that makes recorded music so very human.
Listening to your records with this amplifier allows you to experience sonic beauty in its purest form, and of course with both ears. But how does sonic beauty manifest itself so that we can be swept up in its magic? Here, it’s through variety and naturalness. Beauty for beauty’s sake is a rather sterile notion. Engstrom understands this perfectly. In fact, it’s the simplest, purest messages that give themselves up to us with the greatest reluctance and difficulty. It’s impossible to cheat with a purely acoustic piece, a human voice, a piano alone.
There’s something very special about the way the voices materialise through the Arne amplifier. Once again, it’s all about the binding. It’s reminiscent of the lingering aromas you experience when tasting a wine. With Arne, the notes are stretched out, prolonged and savoured. Time seems almost suspended, because the way we experience music is completely different. Our attention is no longer focused on conventional criteria, because the machine forces us to reconsider the way we listen.
Before concluding, I think it’s important to talk briefly about the marriage between the Arne and various loudspeakers. We carried out most of our tests with two pairs of speakers, the T&T Nel Extrême and the ZU Soul VUreplica. In both cases, the pairing was extremely satisfying and allowed us to explore two very distinct worlds. And although, on paper, the T&Ts are superior to the ZUs, it was with the latter that the pairing was the most complementary. This is certainly due to the absence of filtering, the 100dB efficiency, and the large paper full-range driver.
We also had the opportunity to listen to this amp with the excellent Living Voice, a pairing we fully endorsed. But one of our acquaintances had a remarkable match with Wilson loudspeakers. You will understand that, despite appearances, this amplifier is particularly universal. The success of the marriage will depend on your tastes and, of course, on thorough optimisation.
Our conclusion
It’s rare to have such unforgettable encounters. We spent many hours of musical bliss with the Enstrom Arne. It’s the kind of machine that takes you completely out of your everyday life, that makes you forget time to capture you in the present and put you in close relationship, intimacy I should say, with your precious recordings. In all sincerity, there’s not much more to say. We sincerely hope that you will have the opportunity to listen to this machine and realise just how much energy and clever stratagem its creators have deployed to achieve such an admirable result.
Author: Laurent Thorin
Technical sheet: Engstrom Arne
Origin: Sweden
Price : €33,000
Dimensions : 80 x 320 x 450 mm
Weight : 38 kg
Output power: 30 W
Harmonic distortion : 1 % at 30 W
Frequency response: 10 Hz to 40 kHz +/- 1 dB
Gain: 20 dB
Sensitivity: 1 V for 30 W output @ 5 Ω load
Noise: 90 dB at full output voltage
THD (at 70 kHz): 100 Hz – 10 kHz – 20 W less than 0.5 %.
The latest addition to the EERA range, the EERA Minuetto is largely based on its predecessor, the Andante. Its rich connectivity and large display show at all times the input currently in use, along with the specific characteristics of the digital stream being processed. The main change is in the DAC itself.
The reputation of Marseille-based DAC designer and manufacturer EERA is well established. The company has acquired undisputed expertise and mastery in the processing and decoding of digital streams. As a result, it has a vast range of top-quality products designed to meet the requirements of the most discerning audiophiles and professionals alike. The Minuetto DAC, despite its remarkable performance, is one of the brand’s entry-level products, at least in terms of price.
The heir to long experience
With the Minuetto, EERA’s ambition was to offer a DAC with great musicality at an affordable price. In order to achieve this objective, EERA has largely taken from its Andante model, renowned for the detail and finesse of its sound image. Similarly, this latest model boasts a rich array of connectors capable of accepting a wide variety of digital sources. For the most common sources, there are two coaxial digital inputs.
To continue with the great classics, there’s also an optical input. But the Minuetto is also designed to handle digital streams from the most advanced, even professional, sources. To do this, it has an AES digital input on an XLR socket. It also has a USB-B port for direct use with music files stored on a computer. Finally, there’s also an I2S-compatible HDMI port.
Balanced XLR outputs
The same universality is also found in its analogue outputs. While a pair of RCA sockets is available to handle the most common audio equipment, the Minuetto also has a balanced analogue output on a pair of XLR sockets. It is therefore designed to handle components such as power blocks or very high-end preamplifiers under optimum conditions.
A ‘boosted’ core
However, the most significant change lies at the heart of the Minuetto. It is equipped with ESS Sabre 9038Q2M digital/analogue converters, one per channel, managed by proprietary software. Capable of working in 32-bit/768 kHz HyperStream, these chips boast exceptional performance both in terms of dynamic range, reaching 129 dB, and signal-to-noise ratio, announced at 120 dB including distortion.
Symmetrical, pure Class A architecture
To take full advantage of the remarkable performance of these Sabre converters, the Minuetto adopts a ‘fully symmetrical’ structure that eliminates any risk of interaction between the two channels. Similarly, to maintain a very low level of distortion, the Minuetto’s output stages work in pure Class A.
Another key point in preserving the purity of the sound message is that the Minuetto’s power supplies are the result of in-depth studies to ensure the availability of stable voltages free from any radio frequency interference.
Sober finishes
Finally, the Minuetto comes in a box that is virtually identical to that of its predecessor. Sober and elegant, it is in keeping with the lineage of products offered by EERA. The same applies to the behaviour of this latest addition, which carries the signature sound that has made EERA such a success. A DAC offering remarkable value for money, capable of holding its own against much more expensive equipment.
The set up
Despite its compact size for a 19’’ rackmount, the Minuetto weighs a fair amount on the scales, which betrays the quality of its manufacture. So give it a stable, rigid stand. Pay attention to the mains side, as the correct position can be heard immediately. We can’t advise you enough to take care with the wiring of this device. That’s what we’ve done with the new Absolue Créations Tim-Essentiel series, which we’ll be talking about at length in a future issue!
The sound of the Eera Minuetto
It had been several years since we had the opportunity to listen to a digital source from the French manufacturer EERA. Nevertheless, we had fond memories of the performance of its devices, which struck us with their extremely rigorous balance and marked resolving power. So it was a pleasure to listen to the new Minuetto digital/analogue converter and rediscover these qualities, as vivid as ever, but with greater control. There’s no doubt that the balance favoured by the Marseilles-based manufacturer is still relevant today.
And it’s true that in today’s society, where some products are clones of others, a manufacturer with a real personality deserves our full attention. Didier De Luca’s leitmotiv has always been to highlight all the components of a recording, not just in quantity, but above all in the right proportions. To achieve this, he has developed circuits capable of deconstructing the sound signal with unprecedented acuity. And if, in the distant past, I could sometimes notice a slight lack of smoothness linked to a power of resolution that was too inquisitive, I am pleased to note that this is not the case today.
Not only is the Minuetto a highly resolving source, as the designer likes them, and so do we, but it also adopts a subtle, nuanced personality. In its company, we enjoy an exhaustive show that highlights a sound recording with all its characteristics, its ambiences, its ability to caress the listener’s sensitive fibres, in other words to confer emotion, and not to confine itself to deciphering a sound message in a cold, disembodied way. The Minuetto is not one of those machines that repeat the same performance over and over again.
Rather, it tends to take a back seat to the demands of the digital audio file it is charged with transcribing. Of course, EERA has always been consistent, right from the start. The Minuetto, like its brothers before it, is a machine to be classified in the category of precise sources. However, it is adorned with a softness that we were not used to finding from the manufacturer, at least in these proportions. And here, a certain delicacy in no way rhymes with ‘softness’. We could say that, without compromising the precision of the transcription, EERA is trying its hand at flexibility with some success. And in all sincerity, we like it a lot.
For the most part, we find sonorities free of any coloration, a persistence of sound that gives the recorded music a nice depth. The listening experience remains tense, nervous, fast and luminous, while at the same time approaching a territory of greater fluidity.
Our conclusion
We were delighted to welcome back EERA with a machine at a particularly competitive price. This new Minuetto is as mineral as ever, with a hint of warmth that makes all the difference. Add to that the fact that this converter is made with great care in France and is particularly well equipped, and you have all the more reason to give this new product a careful listen.
Authors: Estève Fabry and Laurent Thorin
Technical sheet: EERA Minuetto
Origin: France
Price : €3,500
Dimensions : 445 x 85 x 320 mm
Frequency response :
(20 Hz to 20 kHz), dB : +-0.1
(20 Hz to 20 kHz), dB : +-0.1
Dynamic range: 113 dB(A)
Digital audio inputs : HDMI DSD (type A) / USB (type B) coaxial, optical, AES/EBU
At the time of writing, the prestigious Jadis company will be celebrating its 40th anniversary. Like all the brand’s products, the Jadis I300 is aimed at audiophiles who love the warmth of tube sound ‘à la Jadis’, a unique taste in sound. In keeping with the convictions of the most purist of audiophiles, this amplifier represents a real return to our roots. It’s a choice that argues for simplicity in tube systems using one of the most iconic tubes, the famous 300B power triode. To equip its amplifier, Jadis chose the 300Bs produced by Electro Harmonix for the quality of the sound they produce and their reliability.
However, while the musicality that this tube confers on the amplifier is universally recognised, getting the best out of it and allowing it to express itself fully implies certain constraints. The 300B triode is a direct-heating tube. Most tubes are indirectly heated. In other words, their filament is placed inside a small metal cylinder which it heats and which forms the cathode. On the 300B, this cylinder is absent. Instead, the filament itself acts as the cathode. This specificity means that all the lamp’s power supply circuits must be capable of delivering a very clean voltage, free from fluctuations or interference.
To meet the purists’ demand for simplicity, the I300 is designed around a simple 300B push-pull with no reaction. It must therefore meet the power supply requirements imposed by these tubes in order to benefit from all their musicality and the emotional listening they can offer. So, in addition to the fact that each stage has its own power supply, particular care has been taken with that of the 300Bs themselves. To achieve this, the i300 has no less than seven separate power supply circuits. As with all Jadis units, the heart of this power supply is based on a transformer designed and manufactured in-house in the brand’s workshop. It uses an EI M6X magnetic circuit of a design that gives it stable, noise-free operation with low heat build-up.
To drive the 300Bs, the pre-amplification stages use an ECC82 followed, after phase shifting the signal using a Schmitt phase shifter, by 6SN7 triodes which deliver a signal sufficient to make them work under optimum conditions. This is where another key element in the behaviour and temperament of any tube amplifier comes into play: the output transformer. This element, once again entirely designed and manufactured in-house by Jadis, uses a double CV38 magnetic circuit built to Jadis’ own standards. The I300 is the only integrated system equipped with such output transformers. All these features make the I300 seem much more powerful than the 10W per channel it actually delivers.
Finally, Jadis attaches particular importance to the design and cabling of its products. The I300 is no exception to this tradition. It benefits from the rules and manual techniques of in-air cabling, taken from the world of high-frequency electronics, which allow the equipment produced by Jadis to express itself fully and sign the brand’s sonic aesthetic.
What’s more, each product undergoes a rigorous series of tests and checks carried out throughout its assembly by highly qualified technicians. They are able to supervise the entire manufacturing process, while contributing their own specific technical skills. All stages of assembly are subject to detailed checks using the most advanced technologies. Any product showing even the slightest defect during a test phase is immediately withdrawn from the production line.
Finally, in terms of design, the I300 remains true to the Jadis spirit, with sober, elegant lines that honour the tubes that make up its soul.
The set up
With a square footprint measuring 40 cm on each side, this integrated amplifier is not all that imposing. However, it does weigh 30 kg, which means it needs an extremely rigid and stable support. If you wish, you can have a thick wooden shelf made to measure. We connected this amp to several quite different loudspeakers, even with outputs that weren’t necessarily very favourable. Despite its advertised 10 W, the I300 was able to meet the demand perfectly. We’ve always found that tube amplifiers deliver subjectively higher power than advertised. This was confirmed in this case.
The sound of the Jadis i300
As we’ve said on several occasions, there’s something undeniably magical about the sound reproduction of Jadis amplifiers. And it’s clearly not all about tubes. It’s true that tube circuits provide unique sensations: euphonious, spatial, warm and airy reproduction. Listening to the Jadis I300, you’ll find all that, but with that extra touch of seduction that the Carcassonne-based manufacturer has been distilling for 40 years. We’ve been lucky enough to work with the brand for many years now. We know full well that the magic of its sound waves can also be explained by the excellence of its proprietary transformers. This full-bodied, responsive sound is not available to everyone. Far from it! On our ZU loudspeakers, which proudly boast an output of 100dB, the I300 gets around.
The soundstage is superbly vaporous and at the same time provides extreme punctuality of sources in space. The position of the musicians is instantly apparent. And the framework of the performance evolves from track to track, from record to record. It is never the same. On the other hand, it perfectly captures the ambience of the recording. On its speakers, the luminosity is sublime. The pairing between the I300 and the Soul mk2s is remarkable. Switching to the Nel Extrême reduces output by 10 points, but the amp never falls apart. It retains a very fine quality of tension on the bass lines. Generally speaking, all the melodic lines are magnificently drawn by this amplifier. It certainly doesn’t deliver the quality of impact that more conventional transistorised electronics can boast. But in exchange it offers a variety of timbres and a strikingly beautiful spectral balance.
Our conclusion
Once again, the manufacturer from Carcassonne has hit the nail on the head. Taking on the legendary 300B was not necessarily an obvious choice. The company’s history is clearly more dominated by the pentodes that it loves so much. But he has long had a special place in his catalogue for 300Bs and 845s. This latest interpretation of the power triode theme is a complete success. This compact, dense amplifier delivers a vibrant, airy sound that you can savour with immense relish. The musicality ‘à la Jadis’ is always a blend of fluidity and nervousness. Once again, history repeats itself, much to our delight.
Author: Estève Fabry
Technical sheet: JADIS i300
Origin: France
Price : €13,500
Dimensions : 400 x 255 x 400 mm
Weight : 30 kg
Power: 2 x 10 W pure class A
Frequency range: 20 Hz to 55 kHz
Input sensitivity: 100 mV
Tubes: 4 x 300B, 2 x 6SN7, 3 x ECC82 Automatic bias
