Anyone have/ordered the Job 225?


There's almost no consumer impressions of this amp on the internet... but the 6moons review is intriguing.
girlsgeneration
When Bob Carver Lounched his line of Sunfire amps, I've bought one immediately literally for 'IPO' brand new SRA for $410. Now I'm thinking if it's worth to sell it used >10years for twice as much. You never know.
I received my Job 225 today. As I commented on my virtual systems, build quality is nice but cheap binding posts. It's a touch bright right out of the box, but I can tell the detail and depth are there and will improve (I hope), over time. I will put a couple hundred hours on it with a tuner before I make further comments.
I have a Job 225 and love the way it sounds. It's an amazing value. I am a little nervous about the warning where they talk about passing dc and possibly having speaker issues. It's quiet, has amazing clarity without being harsh. Very articulate bass. This amp can EASILY compete with amps 5-7 times its cost.
Joeinid: I'm glad your pleased with the Job. I have 6 hours on mine so far. Compared to my current reference, the Wyred integrated, it's not as quiet and the backgrounds aren't as black. Soundstage depth is better on the Wyred. The bass goes deeper on the Wyred but it appears that the Job's bass is more articulate, like you said. I know I only have 6 hours on it so far so I shouldn't make any judgements just yet. How many hours are on yours? Also, I didn't like the Wyred when I first got it. I actually was planning on selling it. I put a tuner on the Wyred for about 300 straight and BAM! Heaven. I just put the same tuner on the Job to get at least 200 hours on it so I can listen for a bit before my return window closes.

I'm running the Job amp-direct straight from my Metrum dac. I get a slight buzz from the drivers when I do this. It is quite transparent that way though. May I ask what your system consists of and what preamp, if any, you are using?
Hi Devilboy,

I'm using the Job 225 with my Dartzeel NHB-18NS preamp through TAD CR-1 speakers. I had it running for about 3 weeks with short rest periods in between. I will be putting the Job 225 on a pair of SF Evolutions in about 2 weeks and I think it will be a great match for those speakers. The Job 225 has exceeded my expectations.


My gear consists of the following:

Dartzeel NHB-18NS, Dartzeel NHB-108, D'Agostino Momentum Stereo, D'Agostino Momentum Preamp, Burmester 948 power conditioner, TAD CR-1's, Klipsch Cornwall III's, Bob Carver VTA20S Black Magic, Emm Labs DAC2X, Emm Labs TSDX, ModWright Ultimate Truth Mod Sony XA-5400ES.
Joeinid: Wow. For you to like the Job as much as you do, in the company of the top notch equipment you have, says a lot. I will give it at least 10 days of burn in before I comment further.
Joeinid: I originally ran the Job with no preamp, going straight from the dac to the Job and controlling volume in PurMusic. I had an issue (not related the the original hum/buzz of the Job), with PureMusic's volume at low levels so I took the Job out and used the Wyred integrated. Durring this time I thought about what preamp to get, TVC,AVC,LDR etc. After months I finally decided on the Lightspeed Attenuator. I had one about one year ago and sold it because I went to the integrated. Anyway, after waiting for four weeks, I still hadn't received the LSA. I just got back this morning from a five day stay in Vegas. I told my neighbor to look out for a package for me. I'm going to his house right now to see if it came. When I put the preamp and the Job back in the system, I will surely let you and the rest of the community know!

Just before I left for Vegas my new Synergistic Research Element Tungsten SE power cord arrived. I will put that on the Job 225.
Thanks for reminding me Joeinid. Well, the Job is fitting in VERY nicely with the rest of the system which now includes the Lightspeed attenuator which FINALLY arrived. The Job along with the LSA is MILES ahead of the Wyred integrated I had and pretty much every other amp/preamp combo I've had over the years. Most impressive with the LSA/Job is the air and transparency I'm getting. To hear the "air" around a singer's voice or musician's trumpet for example, is astonishing. The LSA/Job sound very CLEAN. Midrange is nice, but I"m experimenting with different interconnects to get something "warm" and lush (Grover Huffman and Audiotruth). The upper midrange and highs are magnificent. No complaints in that area whatsoever. The LSA/Job have a very nice, deep and wide soundstage. I thought the bass on the Wyred integrated was amazing (and it still is frankly), but with the Job the bass is so much tighter, faster and more articulte than the Wyred or any other amp I've had for that matter. What I thought was tight and fast on the Wyred is actually fat and "bloaty" when comparing it to the Job.

Overall I'm pleased with the Job. My initial bad luck with the Job regarding the buzz/humm issue left me with a bad taste in my mouth but I must say, I'm finding the popular opinion on this amp to be all true. I can't believe sound quality like this is available for $1,500.

I just put on a brand new Synergistic Research Element Tungsten power cord on the Job 225. I haven't experimented with different tuning bullets yet other than the "warm" black one. I will update system soon.

How's your's doing? Any thoughts now that you've had it for a while?
I am constantly amazed at how good this amp sounds. I let a friend in PA borrow it since he's downsizing his system. As soon as they come back in stock through either Amazon or direct from jobsys.com, I am buying another in case my friend does not give it back :)
Where do you purchase this amp? It's not in stock in Amazon, and there is no contact information on the Job website. Does anyone have their number?
Dartzeel 18NS, Dagostino Momentum preamp, Conrad Johnson GAT and EAR 868. All are superb partners but expensive. I no longer have the Dagostino but it is an amazing sounding preamp.
Hi Izora,

I think you have to be patient. It looks like they are in the process of changing over to direct sales with a dual voltage version. The price will be going up to $1700 US but I think shipping will be included. Their website is jobsys.com
An email confirmation states they are in the process of switching over to direct sales with a dual voltage 115V/230V model. I expect by the end of this month or more likely, next month they will be selling again direct from the company.
I'm about to audition a bent TAP-X autoformer passive. I'm sure the Job will sound wonderful with it. I've been listening a lot lately and honestly guys, the more I listen, the more I'm blown away by the transparency, detail, soundstage depth and width. The VERY articulate bass. I've been listening to some live Mary Stallings (one of my references), and the midrange warmth just sounds so right. This is such a lovely little amp. If there is anyone reading this who is on the fence about buying one, I can't recommend it highly enough.
Devilboy,

Replace the fuse with either a Furutech or Liquid Nano and strap yourself in. A major improvement, seriously! Better overall in all areas. As soon as they start selling direct, I'm ordering another.
Devilboy,

I am so glad you are happy. I would not recommend something I thought wasn't up to the task. This is a Goldmund amp for a song. Ha! Vocals are outstanding, precise instrument placement. Big, deep and wide sound stage. Articulate bass is correct. It's just an amazing amp. And something I like, it has outstanding low volume performance.

Add an aftermarket fuse like a Furutech or Liquid Nano for additional performance that will have you smiling from ear to ear.
Update !!!

My friend from Switzerland says he saw the new amps in production and should be shipping in a few weeks. He is the link to the info.

http://audioshark.org/amplifiers-8/job-225-2-channel-power-amplifier-update-1188-page7.html#post31132
Thanks for the info Joeinid. Good to have someone so informative on the Job "team". LOL.
Ha!

My pleasure. When I find something that is just outstanding, I love to share. I am convinced Job knows that they have a winner on their hands. If this trend continues, we are all the beneficiaries of wonderful music.
What kinds of preamps work best with Job? I've read that tubes aren't recommended.
Since there is no DC protection in the Job, slight DC leakage from a tubed preamp could go through and damage components in the speaker. At least this is how I understood it from Srajan at 6moons. Regarding preamps with the Job, I have experience with three, all passives. Also, those three preamps were of three different types: Transformer (TVC), Autoformer (AVC), and Light Dependent Resistor (LDR). The TVC was my friend's with transformers from Audio Consulting. The AVC is a Bent TAP-X, and the LDR is the Lightspeed Attenuator (a giant killer from George Stancheff). Although my time with the TVC was brief, it had an OVERALL wonderful sound. Somewhat similar to my LDR. The AVC is, I THINK......SLIGHTLY........EVER SO SLIGHTLY......a touch brighter than the other two. I only had it in the system for two days and I haven't had much time to listen because of a busy work schedule. All three preamps sound amazingly transparent, holographic, detailed, deep and wide soundstage etc,etc. I could HAPPILY live with any of the three. I have to make a decision on either the AVC or LDR but thankfully I'm in no rush whatsoever. I get to live with the AVC and LDR for a while so life is good! The AVC has more "oomph" at lower volume levels than the LDR (which is what I thought would happen), but oh that LDR....there is something so natural and correct about the LDR "sound" that I absolutely love. Forget "good for the money", the LDR may be the best of the best........in the right system of course.
Joeinid, so you rally like these fuses huh? I think I'll try it just on your recommendation. I guess the owner's manual will say, but what is the proper fuse for the Job? Also, what am I looking to spend on the Furutech? I'm not familiar with the Nano. What about HiFiTuning?
I would order these:

http://www.thecableco.com/Product/Nano-Liquid-Premium

My friend just put one in and he is over the moon happy. I am sorry but I forget the value he used. I will post the fuse rating next time. You may have to take yours out to see the fuse rating or just wait until I post what he ordered.
Correction! Correction! Correction!

Use either one 4 Amp HIFi-Tuning's Supreme Small (20mm/.75) Fast Blow (F) Type $50

or

One 4 Amp Audio Magic's Liquid Nano The Super Fuse Fast Small $105.00

My vote goes for the Audio Magic.

I am sorry for giving the wrong info in the previous post.

Joe
Hello DevilBoy and everyone,

Nice to hear so many great things about the JOB 225 that i am about to purchase next to the Auralic Vega DAC, i am undecided on the passive path...i have been looking at the Khozmo 10k by Akustyk; a unit that the same Srajan reviewed and says it is a great one to work with the JOB 225, but when i look into passive preamps over the net, i don't find too much info about it or comparisons with items like LSA or Axiom, are you looking for more passives to try or you are just happy with the LSA, i cannot decide, i have heard that Vishay "nude" Zfoil resistors are the best ones for these audiophile purposes and are the ones that comes with the KHOZMO. You can check it out:

http://www.khozmo.com/stereo_selector.html

Thank you and hope to hear some comments about this

Miki
how does one order the JOB 225, their website doesnt have a purchasing page? amazon no longer sells
in advance thanks
Well, I've been burning in the Bent for almost two weeks and whatever hint of brightness I heard is now gone. I took it over a friend's house and same thing, not bright AT ALL. Rich, organic sound with a very transparent, holographic soundstage that's deep, wide and open. I'm afraid the highly regarded LSA has met its match IN MY SYSTEM. Add the convenience of remote volume and balance control and I'm afraid it's a no-brainer.....the Bent shall stay and hold the honor of being "king of the hill" for preamps in my system. Also, the Bent's autoformers handle retrieval of low volume detail and information better than the LSA due to the Bent's superior output impedance at low volumes.

To anyone considering the LSA, please do not misunderstand. The LSA is IMO, is an OUTSTANDING passive and anyone on the fence about purchasing one should get off of it!!! The Bent is considerably more expensive, even on the used market but like I said, IN MY SYSTEM, the Bent is the king.
Job is in the process of going direct from the factory on amp sales. it looks like it will be another month or so before they are able to fulfill sales requests. I know that there is heavy pent up demand but we need to be patient.
Hi,

I am just as anxious as everyone else here to buy another amp. My friend has mine now and I miss it very much. Yes, he's a good friend so I don't mind him using it. These amps are stellar, especially for the money. You can not go wrong with the Job 225. I predict great success for Job.
Can the Job be used without a preamp? I plan to buy a preamp next year and just connect the Job to my source (Oppo 105). Is this a bad idea? I was thinking of buying a passive preamp or getting the new Job preamp that's coming out next year.

I'm also interested in Bent Audio's passive preamp (AVC-1 Slagleformer). I'm considering the passive preamp from Tortuga Audio as well (http://www.tortugaaudio.com/). Has anyone heard of it? It's a LDR based preamp. According to the company's forum, someone prefers this preamp over the one from Bent Audio. I thought that was interesting.
Absolutely you can use it without a preamp of your source has a volume control. Passives work well too. I personally prefer a preamp in front of my amp but if it's temporary, go for it! It will give you time to break in the amp. I feel the amp and preamp combo is more musical to my ear. You will gain detail at the expense of musicality, in my opinion.
Well I guess I'll chime in here. First, I've used the Job without a preamp before. I connected the Metrum Octave's outputs directly to it and controlled the volume with my itouch. However, because I run PureMusic, I heard a very audible, very annoying hiss at low to moderate volumes (this is not to be confused with the humm/buzz I initially heard with the Job due to its grounding issue which was ultimately resolved with a simple rewiring from a service tech in NY).
I think the problem with running amp direct from my DAC was due to the Job's very high 35db gain and .75 Volt sensitivity. My buddy brought over his amp which is 26db gain and 1.86 volt input sensitivity and we herd nothing....no hiss whatsoever. So, keep the Job's high gain and input voltage sensitivity in mind if you go amp direct. I don't know if the Oppo has volume control. I'm assuming it does.

I've used the outstanding Lightspeed Attenuator LDR with the Job for about three weeks. During usage, I found it to be very transparent and open with the Job. However, it wasn't until I received the Bent TAP-X autoformer two weeks ago that I realized the LSA sounded a bit flat and heard a "lack of drive" if you will, with the Job. I think what I was hearing with the LSA MAY have been due to it's high output impedance going into the Job's 51K ohm input impedance. Now, 51K is slightly above the industry standard but in terms of passive preamps with very high output impedance, it may be cutting it too close, IMO. If the Job's input Z was 100K or over....different story.

Again, the LSA is an outstanding product and is one of the best bargains in audio. However, as good as the LSA is, the Bent, in my system, is THAT much better. More open, transparent, holographic and the biggest difference: it sounds more effortless with the Job. I think it's due to the autoformers not having impedance mismatch issues.

I know of the product from tortuga audio but have not been fortunate enough to hear one.
Daldridge76, you say you're interested in a TAP-X. If I understand correctly, they're available only as a home build. I know John Chapman and Dave Slagle sell the parts but you have to build it yourself.

Oh, and you HAD to tell me that Job is releasing a preamp, didn't you? You just had to. Thanks.....thanks a lot.
From the http://jobsys.com/products.htm

More New Jobs are coming

We continue working on new JOB models for 2014, including a preamplifier simple solution. Please keep visiting this website for more information
Devilboy,

I'm interested in the Bent Audio's AVC-1 Slagleformer, not the TAP-X. Is the TAP-X better? Yes, I'm aware that these are DIY.

Yes, I just had to mention the Job preamp LOL. I was also looking at the passive preamp from Stellavox, but I can't figure out if they're still in business. Even the U.S. distributor wasn't sure, so who knows.
Daldridge76, I believe the AVC-1 Slagleformer is essentially, the DIY version of the TAP-X. I ASSUME they are the same sonics-wise, but who knows? I'd contact either John or Dave and ask. If you look at the pic of my TAP-X it's pretty much the same as the AVC-1 sans the silver chassis.
From a poster at audioshark.org:

Re: JOB 225 2-channel Power Amplifier ... update ...



Update ! Update ! Update!

My order has been placed and paid for !!!! The first batch has been released. Thank you Job! Good job.