Orchestra Black

DESCRIPTION

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.

REVIEW

My fondness for the performance of the more expensive Jadis Orchestra Reference MkII is a matter of record—and I enjoyed the sound of the less expensive Orchestra Black at least as much. As to whether the new model sounds distinctly and decisively better than the old, I can't say, as I didn't have them here at the same time for a head-to-head comparison. Were note attacks a hair more crisply precise through the Black—and was its sound just a shade more textured (realistically, pleasantly so)? Maybe.

Or maybe it's a case of economization bias: Maybe I'm reacting, positively but unconsciously, to the happy happy news that this amp is more affordable than its shinier stablemate by an amount of money that could buy, say, a brand-new Denon DL-103 phono cartridge, with money left over for a nice dinner out. That's a forgivable "maybe."

Whatever the case, I'm left in the enviable position of telling you: This one is at least as good as the other one, maybe better, and it costs less. Very strongly recommended.

Art Dudley, Stereophile

SPECS