Since your speakers have an amp for the bottom 2 octaves, you have several options for amplifiers that many of the rest of us do not have. I have not heard the Vandy 5 nor the Jadis amps and yet there seems to be a consensus that both of these products are on the warm rather than the detailed/dynamic side.
I have the CAT JL-3 amps driving the SoundLab A1 speakers. In this case, I need an amp that has the ultimate in control of the speaker no matter how complex the music gets. In my setup, I have no doubt that these amps or a JL-2 would eat the Jadis for lunch when it came to retaining the dynamics and control of the music.
The CAT amps do initial attack of the notes like nothing I have ever experienced. And they have an incredible resolution of detail hidden deep in the low levels of the performance. Once you hear this and you get accustomed to this, it is very difficult to switch to another amp.
The CAT amps are NOT a typical warm sounding tube amp. If you want that greater lower mids presence, Atmasphere, older ARC amps with KT88 or the Jadis amps would most likely be a better choice.....over even the Wolcott amps.
If you were to end up with the JL-2 and you found the result to be a bit lacking in warmth, any number of preamps could come to the rescue to bring on a great balance of warmth vs. dimensionality vs. detail. I run with the Aesthetix Io/Callisto and this with the CAT amps is a match made in heaven. The portrayal of space and decays strengths from the Aesthetix and the explosive dynamic contrasts and frequency extreme coverage of the CATs makes for a wonderful sound. Notice I did not say synergy. My gut feeling is that the CAT preamp would be way too much into the "neutral zone" for your liking.
You really need to find a way to at least try these in your home. And one other thing - you have awesome cables in the K-S Emotion models. But if the CAT was almost but not quite enough of that richness and fullness, I suspect trying a couple Purist Dominus power cables or ICs could change your mind on this in a flash....not to mention even greater dynamic contrasts.
John
I have the CAT JL-3 amps driving the SoundLab A1 speakers. In this case, I need an amp that has the ultimate in control of the speaker no matter how complex the music gets. In my setup, I have no doubt that these amps or a JL-2 would eat the Jadis for lunch when it came to retaining the dynamics and control of the music.
The CAT amps do initial attack of the notes like nothing I have ever experienced. And they have an incredible resolution of detail hidden deep in the low levels of the performance. Once you hear this and you get accustomed to this, it is very difficult to switch to another amp.
The CAT amps are NOT a typical warm sounding tube amp. If you want that greater lower mids presence, Atmasphere, older ARC amps with KT88 or the Jadis amps would most likely be a better choice.....over even the Wolcott amps.
If you were to end up with the JL-2 and you found the result to be a bit lacking in warmth, any number of preamps could come to the rescue to bring on a great balance of warmth vs. dimensionality vs. detail. I run with the Aesthetix Io/Callisto and this with the CAT amps is a match made in heaven. The portrayal of space and decays strengths from the Aesthetix and the explosive dynamic contrasts and frequency extreme coverage of the CATs makes for a wonderful sound. Notice I did not say synergy. My gut feeling is that the CAT preamp would be way too much into the "neutral zone" for your liking.
You really need to find a way to at least try these in your home. And one other thing - you have awesome cables in the K-S Emotion models. But if the CAT was almost but not quite enough of that richness and fullness, I suspect trying a couple Purist Dominus power cables or ICs could change your mind on this in a flash....not to mention even greater dynamic contrasts.
John