This past Thursday I visited Don Better Audio in Shaker Heights Ohio for a dealer event featuring Jadis, JMR, Well Tempered Labs, and Weiss. Along with Don was Jay from Bluebird Music and Mike from TOFFCO as well as some friends of each. Jay distributes Jadis and Weiss and spoke about the pieces in the system, Mike is the distributor for JMR Speakers and Well Tempered Labs turntables who also gave an introduction to the products he carries. Don Better Audio was the host for the evening, and Don is a wonderful host with a great space for listening and a massive collection of vinyl, though we also listened to some digital to showcase the Weiss DAC via the Grimm MU1 streamer.
The Jadis pieces that were on display as part of the system were the SE845 NEC Mono blocks using 845 tubes to create 40 watts of power. The preamp was the Jadis JP80MC which uses an outboard power supply and features a built-in MC and MM phono stage. Volume is controlled for each channel using resistor ladders. For sources, we listened to a Well Tempered Labs Amadeus 254 GT with a Dynavector Cartridge, for digital the Grimm MU1 streamer into the Wiess Helios DAC. Lastly, the speakers used were the JMR Orfeo Grande, these speakers are a transmission line design that offers great bass from a smaller driver, and the tweeter is an AST offering speed and detail to balance the bass from the transmission line.
We listened to a variety of music, some of which I was not familiar with, other pieces I was. I requested a personal favorite, Laufey’s “Dreamer” and the vocals of the system were incredible. The lifelike presentation was breathtaking and had such soul and body. The Jadis amplification provided great application with a touch of warmth, but ultimately the dimension of the music is what stood out. The sound stage was large and the imaging was precise creating a 3d world with depth and width beyond the speakers. Regardless of the source, either digital or analog, the sound was smooth and clear.
The prices of the gear may come as a surprise as this system had world-class sound but not a world-class price tag. Don’t get me wrong none of the gear is cheap, but by Hifi Standards it’s quite reasonable and it is also worth mentioning all of these brands have more entry-level gear that will get you great sound for the money.
- Jadis JP80MC – $23,900
- Jadis SE845 NEC – $36,300
- Weiss Helios DAC – $21,995
- Grimm MU1 – $12,500
- Well Tempered Labs Amadeus 254 – $8,750
- Dynavector XV1T MC – $9,750
If you’re near Cleveland or up for a drive it would be well worth scheduling a visit with Don to hear and see his amazing collection and pick up a new piece for your system.
I want to say thank you to Don Better Audio, Bluebird Music, and TOFFCO for the wonderful evening of music.
