First Watt J2 new addition to the family

[Aercool]

As I probably mentioned in the other thread, I've traded in the M2 for the J2. Seemed weird to gush about the J2 in a topic that had a title about the M2. So...

I continue to be amazed by this amplifier. The control it has on my Zu Audio Omen speakers is impressive. I was hearing things on discs I've never heard before in the lower bass regions on discs I know *really* well. Thoroughly entertained. It just sounds so good to my ears.

Thanks to Mark at Reno HiFi for his help along the way! This amp really scratched the itch for me. There's nothing missing, and SO much there.

Anyone else have one or have listened to one? Seems out there on "the fringe", but it shouldn't be!

[Dave_72]

Originally Posted by Aercool

As I probably mentioned in the other thread, I've traded in the M2 for the J2. Seemed weird to gush about the J2 in a topic that had a title about the M2. So...

I continue to be amazed by this amplifier. The control it has on my Zu Audio Omen speakers is impressive. I was hearing things on discs I've never heard before in the lower bass regions on discs I know *really* well. Thoroughly entertained. It just sounds so good to my ears.

Thanks to Mark at Reno HiFi for his help along the way! This amp really scratched the itch for me. There's nothing missing, and SO much there.

Anyone else have one or have listened to one? Seems out there on "the fringe", but it shouldn't be!

I currently have one on loan from Pass Labs. This was for the last LVAC (Las Vegas Audio Club) meeting that we had yesterday afternoon. There will be a full article about it in our blog. The Las Vegas Audio Club

Anyway, here is my brief opinion...

The amp is very clean and pure in the mids and highs. Imo, it would be better served as a HF/MR amp in a bi-amped configuration rather than run it full range. At high or higher volumes, the amp tends to clip and tends to run out of gas. The dynamics and bass are a bit restricted. This is not the amp for headbangers and 1812 Overture freaks. My JBL S4700 speakers are 94db efficient with a 6 Ohm rating. You might think that's enough efficiency, but they actually need more power to wake them up, especially the woofers. Now with something like a Klipsch Cornwall or Klipschorn, this would be all you need really. Those are even more efficient and have a higher Ohm rating than the JBLs I use.

So, that's about it for now. More in the blog, including opinions from the other club members...

[watercourse]

Originally Posted by Dave_72

I currently have one on loan from Pass Labs. This was for the last LVAC (Las Vegas Audio Club) meeting that we had yesterday afternoon. There will be a full article about it in our blog. The Las Vegas Audio Club

Anyway, here is my brief opinion...

The amp is very clean and pure in the mids and highs. Imo, it would be better served as a HF/MR amp in a bi-amped configuration rather than run it full range. At high or higher volumes, the amp tends to clip and tends to run out of gas. The dynamics and bass are a bit restricted. This is not the amp for headbangers and 1812 Overture freaks. My JBL S4700 speakers are 94db efficient with a 6 Ohm rating. You might think that's enough efficiency, but they actually need more power to wake them up, especially the woofers. Now with something like a Klipsch Cornwall or Klipschorn, this would be all you need really. Those are even more efficient and have a higher Ohm rating than the JBLs I use.

So, that's about it for now. More in the blog, including opinions from the other club members...

Very much in agreement IME with the J2 paired with DeVore Nines. They are 91dB, and I never got the amp to clip, so just how loud did you guys push it????

That said, the imaging and resolution is amazing, though I didn't have the bass fullness and dynamics I was seeking.

[Dave_72]

Probably around 12 or 1 o'clock on the preamp dial. The sound hardened and the music tended to get a bit "jumbled up." This was on the harder end of classic rock like Deep Purple or Led Zeppelin. As I said, this amp is not for rockers or headbangers or even aficionados of full orchestras...it's more for light jazz, acoustic blues, and smaller classical ensembles.

I agree with your second statement. Very much so.

[Aercool]

My Zu Omens are 12 ohms and 97 dB efficient, which nearly "doubles" the power of the amp for me vs. your 94 dB JBL's. I've not experienced clipping, and have gone loud with the new Spoon release, Lucinda Williams new release and others. I'm definitely not listening to smooth jazz, but do listen to some fairly dynamic Bill Frisell stuff that can push some bass from time to time. I'll listen for what you heard, but so far I'm blissfully unaware of any limitations.

[Dave_72]

Originally Posted by Aercool

My Zu Omens are 12 ohms and 97 dB efficient, which nearly "doubles" the power of the amp for me vs. your 94 dB JBL's. I've not experienced clipping, and have gone loud with the new Spoon release, Lucinda Williams new release and others. I'm definitely not listening to smooth jazz, but do listen to some fairly dynamic Bill Frisell stuff that can push some bass from time to time. I'll listen for what you heard, but so far I'm blissfully unaware of any limitations.

I think what's going on is the JBLs are 6 Ohms, and the woofers on these crave power. Perhaps they're dipping down below 4 Ohms. Not having any test equipment at my disposal, I'll have to ask JBL and see what they say. Again, for these speakers, the J2 would probably be better served in a bi-amp configuration on the HF/MR horns with a 300 wpc or more Class A/B amp on the woofers. That's just my half baked theory.

[Aercool]

I was looking at the impedance curve for the Zu Omens, and there's a significant spike between 45 Hz to 125Hz, where at 45 Hz the impedance is 12 ohms, spiking at ~45 ohms at 70 Hz, and then dropping back to 12 ohms at 125 Hz. It could be the reason my tube amp had problems reproducing clean bass in those regions. There was a saturated sound when listening at volume, and fortunately the First Watt J2 is really clean in that same bass region.

[pstrisik]

Wow, seems very significant, though in what way I'm not sure!

[Dave_72]

Originally Posted by Aercool

I was looking at the impedance curve for the Zu Omens, and there's a significant spike between 45 Hz to 125Hz, where at 45 Hz the impedance is 12 ohms, spiking at ~45 ohms at 70 Hz, and then dropping back to 12 ohms at 125 Hz. It could be the reason my tube amp had problems reproducing clean bass in those regions. There was a saturated sound when listening at volume, and fortunately the First Watt J2 is really clean in that same bass region.

I see. Well, that's cool that the J2 works out better for you. Sorry I didn't call JBL earlier, I will do so this coming Monday.