The Jadis JS1 MKV is here and it is stunning. This is a two chassis unit with an external power supply. The external supply is slit into two parts, one for analog circuits and the other for digital circuits.
The unit uses AK4497 DAC chip and uses 2 ECC82, 2 ECC88, 1 EL84 and 1 EF86 tube. The first thing you note is that this DAC is not tubey. It is not warm and gooey. This is a reference level unit that is quite competitive with the Rockna and Playback. It does not have a preamp stage, no streaming or rendering and no MQA support. DSD is native to 256 over USB.
The detail is incredible. The tiniest a hair below the Wavedream Signature and Edelweiss, it did not show up in the five song test. As a matter of curiosity, I listened to a 24/192k version of Miles Davis's Kind of Blue and the micro detail in the plucking of the string bass in the opening is not quite as precise as it is in the Playback but short of that, it is stunning. On this same test the Jadis is slightly clearer than the Weiss.
On In a Sentimental Mood, drum rolls are crisp and there is good separation. What is shocking is the soundstage. The image is as deep as the Playback. The instrument separation is as good and the image is rock solid in terms of stability. The width of the image is absolutely off the charts. It is every bit as big as the Rockna image. Without the Signature here I can tell if it is bigger.
The soundstage on Be Still My Beating Heart is Massive. The image is deep and wide. The bells are clear. Sting's voice lacks sibilance. It is just enjoyable. On Liberty, effects are coming from where they should. The image is large. Here voice is not bright. It is in your face where it should be without any glare.
On Duende, instruments are true. Separation between notes is flawless. There is no distortion in the opening bass notes. The image holds together as the song gets more complex and there is no localization at the speakers.
There is no massing of strings on the Berg piece. It sounds big though and the intimacy of a quartet is lost a bit. This is unsurprising and very simply a compromise that one must make. Full orchestral pieces sound right.
What doesn't come across in the above notes is that like the Playback, there is this sense of rightness and musicality that makes you forget that you are listening to a system and not just listening to music. This is a challenge while evaluating equipment and the temptation is to simply deviate from the test. I literally loaded four other songs while I was doing this because I wanted to hear them.
The unit, despite being tube based, is slightly more bright/forward than the fully broken in Playback. Is this the best DAC I have ever had in my system....maybe. It is tight between the Rockna, Playback and Jadis. If you are looking for a no compromise unit, this should be on your list.
