Ammonite Audio
22-02-2015, 12:47
Now that the new Trade Section is up and running, now is a good time to talk about the JSA Headphone Conditioner products from VertexAQ, for which I am the sole retailer.
http://vertexaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/parellel-JSA-boxes.png
I now have the top-spec Type 2 Conditioner (incorporating acoustic and RFI absorption technologies) in my sticky hands and have been rather enjoying its effects on headphone listening. But, back to the beginning!
VertexAQ have for some years acquired a name for themselves with cables, platforms and accessories that deal with potentially destructive acoustic and RFI energy which is freely transmitted along wires between bits of equipment, in both directions. It can be quite challenging to imagine how this can make a difference, but many thousands of VertexAQ users will testify that the effect of addressing such destructive energy can be quite profound, specifically in terms of clarity, resolution, separating instruments and performers ................ I could go on, but if you have not experienced the VertexAQ effect, please be open-minded and allow me to explain what the JSA Headphone Conditioner has done for me, and can do for you.
My headphone listening rig consists largely of a Win7 laptop running JRiver, feeding a Naim DAC-V1 via USB, and a pair of Beyerdynamic T1 headphones:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/JSA%20Stuff/IMGP1478_zps18ce2784.jpg
This is a rather lovely combination, being clear, articulate, vibrant and comfortable. Even though I use Vertex products in my main system, I did not quite know what to expect when slotting the JSA conditioner between the DAC-V1 and the Beyers.
The JSA conditioner does not contain any active devices – the headphones simply plug into one of the jacks on the box, and a short flying lead connects the box to the headphone amp. Apart from those jacks, the conductors are unbroken, passing through a complex absorption labyrinth. Some of you might feel a bit challenged by the notion that passing the headphone wires through a small, heavy box can possibly have any positive effect, but please bear with me, because the effect is rather profound and I now find it difficult to listen via headphones without this device in place.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/JSA%20Stuff/IMGP1481_zps453bf97a.jpg
On plugging in the JSA conditioner, there is an immediate impression of 'smoothness' which can feel (for a short time) as though something has been 'taken away' from the overall sound. It did not take long to realise that the smoothness came with a much enhanced sense of acoustic space, accuracy and musical truth; and an exhaustive trawl through my music collection ensued. In every case, I heard things that were not fully expressed before. Let me give you some examples:
Bach Trio Sonatas, Palladian Ensemble (Linn CKD036, http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-bach-trio-sonatas-cd.aspx ) is a lovely recording made with period instruments, quite beautifully recorded to sound nice on virtually any system. Plugging the JSA Type 2 conditioner into the headphone rig enhanced the acoustic space, placing instruments accurately, but what I really noticed here was that I could hear the bowing action on the cello-like instrument; something that was simply not there without the JSA conditioner.
Moving along to something more contemporary, I played Sinatra’s ‘Come Dance With Me’. On ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, it turns out that there is a softly played piano coming in and out of the backing music – without the JSA conditioner I heard periodic snippets of this piano, but with the box in circuit, it was very easy to follow it.
I then clicked on ‘That’s Amore’ on ‘The Full Flavour’ by the Ray Gelato Giants. This is always fun listening with a fantastic rhythmic drive, coupled with top class musicianship and typically Linn recording quality. Listening via the JSA conditioner revealed the drumming to be an actual person, with two sticks, whacking away like a demented two-armed metronome. This is just one of many examples where the JSA conditioner properly revealed musicians performing their art. The difference between hearing an instrument, and hearing someone playing an instrument. Profound, but important stuff.
Finally (for now), I have a Bach ‘Ultimate Collection’ CD on the PC, which is rather good. The Prelude in C Major, Bwv 846, is a perennial (if rather short) favourite, and on this recording the JSA conditioner allowed me to really hear the fingering of the harp strings, as well as better capturing a truly lovely sense of the harp's body resonances.
I could go on, but there is a limit to readers’ endurance, but suffice to say that I am chuffed to bits with the JSA Headphone Conditioner and could not now imagine listening without it. An existing JSA customer in the USA felt the same way
The JSA Headphone Conditioner type 2 is an essential part of my
headphone system, whether playback is from a state of the art Leben
tube amp or a Bakoon solid state amp. I wouldn't listen to my system
for a moment without it. Paired with Audeze headphones, it adds a
sense of ease and musical relaxation that is instantly missed when
it's not in the chain. The JSA has my highest recommendation for
headphone listeners seeking to maximize the performance of their
system.
The reviewer Paul Rigby reviewed the Type 2 Conditioner on his Audiophile Man website here http://www.theaudiophileman.com/#!vertex-aq-jsa/c1v4g
The JSA Headphone Conditioners cost between £210-£350 depending on specification and colour, with further options for input jack leads priced from £40-£260. Please look at the webshop for all pricing options http://ammonite-acoustics.co.uk/product-category/jsa-headphone-conditioners/
I will be at the Whittlebury Hall Show in September, in the Brooklands Suite. Come along to hear for yourself what the JSA products can do!
http://vertexaq.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/parellel-JSA-boxes.png
I now have the top-spec Type 2 Conditioner (incorporating acoustic and RFI absorption technologies) in my sticky hands and have been rather enjoying its effects on headphone listening. But, back to the beginning!
VertexAQ have for some years acquired a name for themselves with cables, platforms and accessories that deal with potentially destructive acoustic and RFI energy which is freely transmitted along wires between bits of equipment, in both directions. It can be quite challenging to imagine how this can make a difference, but many thousands of VertexAQ users will testify that the effect of addressing such destructive energy can be quite profound, specifically in terms of clarity, resolution, separating instruments and performers ................ I could go on, but if you have not experienced the VertexAQ effect, please be open-minded and allow me to explain what the JSA Headphone Conditioner has done for me, and can do for you.
My headphone listening rig consists largely of a Win7 laptop running JRiver, feeding a Naim DAC-V1 via USB, and a pair of Beyerdynamic T1 headphones:
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/JSA%20Stuff/IMGP1478_zps18ce2784.jpg
This is a rather lovely combination, being clear, articulate, vibrant and comfortable. Even though I use Vertex products in my main system, I did not quite know what to expect when slotting the JSA conditioner between the DAC-V1 and the Beyers.
The JSA conditioner does not contain any active devices – the headphones simply plug into one of the jacks on the box, and a short flying lead connects the box to the headphone amp. Apart from those jacks, the conductors are unbroken, passing through a complex absorption labyrinth. Some of you might feel a bit challenged by the notion that passing the headphone wires through a small, heavy box can possibly have any positive effect, but please bear with me, because the effect is rather profound and I now find it difficult to listen via headphones without this device in place.
http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s301/hugocass/JSA%20Stuff/IMGP1481_zps453bf97a.jpg
On plugging in the JSA conditioner, there is an immediate impression of 'smoothness' which can feel (for a short time) as though something has been 'taken away' from the overall sound. It did not take long to realise that the smoothness came with a much enhanced sense of acoustic space, accuracy and musical truth; and an exhaustive trawl through my music collection ensued. In every case, I heard things that were not fully expressed before. Let me give you some examples:
Bach Trio Sonatas, Palladian Ensemble (Linn CKD036, http://www.linnrecords.com/recording-bach-trio-sonatas-cd.aspx ) is a lovely recording made with period instruments, quite beautifully recorded to sound nice on virtually any system. Plugging the JSA Type 2 conditioner into the headphone rig enhanced the acoustic space, placing instruments accurately, but what I really noticed here was that I could hear the bowing action on the cello-like instrument; something that was simply not there without the JSA conditioner.
Moving along to something more contemporary, I played Sinatra’s ‘Come Dance With Me’. On ‘I Could Have Danced All Night’, it turns out that there is a softly played piano coming in and out of the backing music – without the JSA conditioner I heard periodic snippets of this piano, but with the box in circuit, it was very easy to follow it.
I then clicked on ‘That’s Amore’ on ‘The Full Flavour’ by the Ray Gelato Giants. This is always fun listening with a fantastic rhythmic drive, coupled with top class musicianship and typically Linn recording quality. Listening via the JSA conditioner revealed the drumming to be an actual person, with two sticks, whacking away like a demented two-armed metronome. This is just one of many examples where the JSA conditioner properly revealed musicians performing their art. The difference between hearing an instrument, and hearing someone playing an instrument. Profound, but important stuff.
Finally (for now), I have a Bach ‘Ultimate Collection’ CD on the PC, which is rather good. The Prelude in C Major, Bwv 846, is a perennial (if rather short) favourite, and on this recording the JSA conditioner allowed me to really hear the fingering of the harp strings, as well as better capturing a truly lovely sense of the harp's body resonances.
I could go on, but there is a limit to readers’ endurance, but suffice to say that I am chuffed to bits with the JSA Headphone Conditioner and could not now imagine listening without it. An existing JSA customer in the USA felt the same way
The JSA Headphone Conditioner type 2 is an essential part of my
headphone system, whether playback is from a state of the art Leben
tube amp or a Bakoon solid state amp. I wouldn't listen to my system
for a moment without it. Paired with Audeze headphones, it adds a
sense of ease and musical relaxation that is instantly missed when
it's not in the chain. The JSA has my highest recommendation for
headphone listeners seeking to maximize the performance of their
system.
The reviewer Paul Rigby reviewed the Type 2 Conditioner on his Audiophile Man website here http://www.theaudiophileman.com/#!vertex-aq-jsa/c1v4g
The JSA Headphone Conditioners cost between £210-£350 depending on specification and colour, with further options for input jack leads priced from £40-£260. Please look at the webshop for all pricing options http://ammonite-acoustics.co.uk/product-category/jsa-headphone-conditioners/
I will be at the Whittlebury Hall Show in September, in the Brooklands Suite. Come along to hear for yourself what the JSA products can do!