A “Flawless” Musical Performance

The Orchestra Reference delivers the famous Jadis sound at a price within reach of any music lover.

The Orchestra Reference is a hybrid design featuring a pair of solid-state bipolar transistors on the front end of a classic push-pull 40 watt integrated. This design was chosen for it’s higher power and lower distortion. Utilizing much the advanced technology that makes Jadis a leader in high-end tube amplification, such as point-to-point wiring, non-magnetic stainless steel chassis, gold-plated ceramic tube sockets and custom in-house hand-made transformers, the Orchestra Reference exemplifies the luxurious sound Jadis is famous for.

The Orchestra Reference delivers a big open sound with unrivaled dynamics and clarity. The fixed bias output stage delivers efficient power and enhanced tube life. When you combine this classic 40 watt EL34 design with Jadis’ custom, hand-made transformers the result is stunning musicality at incredible value.

Made in France. Remote control included. Click image above for large picture.

First and foremost, the amp's musical performance was flawless: The Orchestra Reference was as beautifully built as the somewhat more expensive Jadis I-35. Apart from three small circuit boards - the amp is hand-wired, point-to-point. The layout is sensible, the wiring and soldering are impeccably done, and the parts quality ranges from very good to superb.

The amp’s sound was richly colorful and beautifully balanced, with very good musical drive. In the long run, I could live with the Orchestra Reference quite happily. For a (mostly) tubed integrated of this performance level to sell for under $5,000 is noteworthy. Rest assured the Jadis Orchestra Reference is extremely unlikely to disappoint. Strongly recommended.

Art Dudley, Stereophile, December 2015