Pass, Belles or Jadis amp?

[benst]

Hi,

I have decided to buy a new amp for my CLS's. The current one (a Perreaux) has bitten the dust for the third or fourth time, and I am tired of fixing it.

I am currently looking at a Pass X250, a Belles 350A and a Jadis DA7. Any opinions on these?

Thanks,
Ben

 

[Rich]

The Pass Labs amps are excellent and do a great job with Martin Logans. I believe the Belles also has a great reputation. Don't know about the Jadis.

 

[risabet]

The Pass Labs amps are excellent and do a great job with Martin Logans. I believe the Belles also has a great reputation. Don't know about the Jadis.

Jadis have beautiful sound, seriously beautiful sound, but their reputation for reliability was sketchy. I don't know if that is currently the case.

 

[TrumpetDoug]

Belles

The belles stuff I believe to be durable and sound great. I have never heard their amps, but have owned one of their pre-amps for more than 20 years now. I have considered looking for a used Belles amp to replace my Threshold. For no reason really other than to try a new drug. On the other hand maybe I will just get a new Threshold.:rocker:

Doug - out

 

[sleepysurf]

... I am currently looking at a... Belles 250A...

I presume you mean the Belles 350A Reference. I'm using one with my Summits, and am very pleased (though always itching to try something else!) David Belles (like ML) provides superb support, and last year when my pre-amp apparently passed a DC surge (which fried the Belles), David spent a LOT of time on the phone with me figuring out what happened, then he built me an entirely new one! IMHO, the 350A Ref high-current MOSFET output yields a very clean and musical sound, while running relatively cool. A pair of 350A's can also be run as monoblocks, yielding 1000W per channel, which would certainly energize your CLS nicely! David has just started shipping his new LA-01 Pre-amp, all SS with a separate power supply. I would have seriously considered it, but, unfortunately, it lacks Home Theater Bypass.

 

[M@rio]

I agree with Risabet. Go for Jadis or Pass labs. Only problem with Jadis are valves, I mean reliability. Sometimes they "explode" like popcorns

Cheers !

 

[benst]

I presume you mean the Belles 350A Reference.

Yes, thank you for spotting that mistake. I've edited my original post.

Ben

 

[benst]

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Is Jadis (and tubes in general) really that unreliable? I'm kind of done with that. I've had to replace the fuses several times in my Perreaux, the rectifier twice, and in the end the transformer.

The Pass seems to be the no-risk option, right?

I don't have any experience with Belles, so it's good to hear some stories about them.

Ben

 

[Rich]

The Pass is built like a tank, and will probably be as reliable 20 years from now as it is the day you buy it.

 

[bigbanger]

Have you considered a Plinius amplifier? I'm driving my CLS IIzs with a Plinius SA-103 and think they work very well together.

 

[Kaboomnash]

I went with the Pass X250 immediately for my Vantages and love it; I have not looked back. Excellent quality, the support I got from Pass and Reno HiFi was exceptional.
The WAF factor was high as well, she loves the look of it.
Good luck.

 

[patlad]

I agree with Risabet. Go for Jadis or Pass labs. Only problem with Jadis are valves, I mean reliability. Sometimes they "explode" like popcorns

Cheers !

Jadis has changed their tube providers and now have better tubes that are very reliable and tested and apaired before shipping. If you buy used, this is might be different as the tubes may have been changed by previous owner.
The strong point of jadis is their excellent transformers. And Jadis amps are excellent with ML.
Now, as every tube amps, everyone may like or dislike the Jadis sound.

 

[Audioseduction]

I have the X350.5 and find it to sound very outstanding and clean. The image, soundstage size, instrumental bloom, and dynamics are just incredible. I feel they can make any ML sing its best.

 

[risabet]

Thanks for all the comments so far.

Is Jadis (and tubes in general) really that unreliable? I'm kind of done with that. I've had to replace the fuses several times in my Perreaux, the rectifier twice, and in the end the transformer.

The Pass seems to be the no-risk option, right?

I don't have any experience with Belles, so it's good to hear some stories about them.

Ben

No, it isn't the tubes per se, though they can fail. My amps are 100wpc /4 EL34/6CA7 or 6550/KT88 per channel have been models of reliability. The circuit runs the tubes conservatively and that is the key. I know that early Jadis amps ran their tubes to within an inch off their life i.e. high bias and plate voltages that when a tube failed, and due to the high voltages involved they did, the amp became a spark factory taking the bias grid resistors and a few other parts with them. They are not indicative of all tube amps any more than Phase Linear, AKA Flame Linear, represent SS amps.

 

[benst]

Thanks again for all te advice. Ok, I'll probably visit the shop with the Belles and the Pass amps next weekend.

I'm still not sure about tube amps. What kind of lifetime can one expect from a set of tubes before they deteriorate? I'm not sure how old the Jadis I'm offered is. So I also don't know if it is one of the earlier types.

Ben

 

[risabet]

What kind of lifetime can one expect from a set of tubes before they deteriorate? I'm not sure how old the Jadis I'm offered is. So I also don't know if it is one of the earlier types.

Ben

2000 hrs or so. I rebias every 6 months and change tubes every 2 years. I don't roll output tubes because it shortens their life dramatically IME.

 

[compaddict]

One more vote for Pass stuff. I used to run tube stuff and after switching to PL I can't imagine going back.

Vince