Jadis has gained a reputation for creating fine amplifiers based around vacuum tubes since unveiling its JA80 Class A monoblock in the 80s. Today, the Villedubert-based brand announces its Diapason Luxe and I-70 integrated amplifiers.

The Diapason Luxe is a new version of the company's entry-level model; meanwhile, the I-70 is not only touted as a reference-class integrated amplifier but one of the first in the world to be built around the new KT170 valve. Nevertheless, both models are unmistakably Jadis, thanks to being wrapped in the trademark polished stainless steel and gold colourway.

Jadis Diapason Luxe

We are told that the Diapason was designed from the ground up to be the most affordable integrated valve amp from the French company. However, the new Luxe version adds premium touches, such as the non-magnetic stainless steel frame with 24-carat gold plating on the front panel.

The amp incorporates seven valves in its Class AB, semi-automatic bias design, which are said to have been specially selected by Jadis for the Diapason. The lineup includes one Electro Harmonix ECC82 and two Tung-Sol EC83s for the input/preamp stage, plus four Tung-Sol 6L6s (two per channel) in a push-pull configuration for the output stage. The 6L6s are mounted on a vibration-damping ceramic support.

While simplified compared to designs higher up the Jadis ladder, the three hand-wound transformers maintain the same fundamental attributes, right down to the vibration-damping resin, and are still made in Jadis' factory in Villedubert alongside those loftier models.

The result is a 12kg, 15W per channel integrated amplifier with a 4 to 8 ohm load impendence and 20Hz to 25kHz @-3dB quoted frequency range.

The Diapason Luxe sports six line-level RCA analogue inputs, one of which can be optionally converted to a USB digital input.

Jadis I-70

Jadis saw the arrival of the new KT170 valve with its exceptional combination of high power and low distortion as the perfect jump-off point for creating the I-70, its new reference class integrated amplifier.

The Jadis I-70 employs a complement of nine valves – three ECC82s, two ECC83s and four KT170s, the latter delivering 60W of Class A power per channel in this automatic bias design.

Furthermore, tipping the scales at 30kg, the integrated amp boasts features usually reserved for the company's top-end monoblock power amps and preamps. For example, entirely independent power supplies for the driver stage and power stage. You also get point-to-point wiring and handmade transformers.

The newly designed power transformer enables the amp to work in a single push-pull, ultra-linear with triple-load configuration, with two KT170 output valves per channel. The frequency range is quoted as being 10Hz-36kHz.

The Jadis Diapason Luxe has an RRP of £3,498 with six line-level analogue inputs or £3,598 if you'd rather one of those line-level analogue inputs converted to USB. The Jadis I-70 costs £11,498.

Visit Jadis for more information