Hey mate, yes that's a definite!
I've heard all of these amps either with an ART pre, ACT2, or GAT- super impressive I must say.
What I was referring to "oomph" perhaps was not the right word/phrase. Sorry about that; infact, as you all are well aware cj amplification whether 45 or 300 watts, all have plenty of oomph. What I'm referring to and is quite hard to explain is this: when I listen to the system at very low to moderate levels, the cj sound is very relaxing and just pure bliss for endless hours- not too bright, nor too harsh, just the perfect sort of balance all round, I guess you could claim "just sounds right!"
I have noticed quite significantly, as you increase levels, this all round balance still remains, virtually no distortion, again very smooth and captivating presence (life-like) and has a superb control of the entire soundstage from top-bottom & sideways with a highly accurate scale. Plus of course that total musicality factor that cj is known for.
All summed up, cj is basically true high-end gear that does come at a cost.
On the other side of the planet, somewhere in China or Hong Kong I think, at a fraction of the cost- we have Jas Audio. Very clever design, superb execution of parts and good workmanship (always improving) but does not have a rich audio design history such as cj, ARC, VTL and the like. However, in terms of value for money- is right up their amongst the top contenders such as Prima Luna, Cayin and other top value brands that are starting to emerge. So what I noticed on my Quads is that in order to get the cj in full action, I do have too turn it up a couple notches on the pre to get the heart pumping, and of course the dynamics are superb along with the details, nuances and layering of everything possible, cj doesn't seem to miss a thing.
On the other spectrum, with the little Jas Bravo 2.2 SE 300B, I noticed once again very significantly that impact on the notes are more prominent even at low volumes. I don't have to turn it up at all, and this suits me just fine since I don't listen to loud at all. Soft to moderate is my preference. On the negative side, when I do turn up the level on the JasA, it starts to get all mushy and not as well layered as the cj gear at all. The bass becomes flabby and the highs not so focused, perhaps it's clipping, running out of steam or just the trait of the 300B don't know...
Overall, I am enjoying this wonderful little amp with the stats and it does something magical with the midband. It can scale up to size and does deliver what I'm after. However, at the end of the day, comparing side by side, forget it, you just cannot compare the JasA with cj- hell no! Therefore, the combination that has given me 110% satisfaction to the fullest from the Quads has been with the ARTsa amp and GAT. Of course to top that off, the GATs2 delivers everything else at even a higher level of what was thought final from just the GAT. To me it's really mind boggling exactly what the GATs2 is doing, whatever it's capable of is astonishing! You really have to experience it to understand its capabilities.
I really don't know whether I would ever be able to afford a GATs2 or even a standard GAT for that matter. However, in terms of power amplification, I do know the ARTsa is definitely worthy and is pretty good value as well, not overly priced in my opinion. Just the right amount of power to drive virtually anything- 140 watts of pure push-pull on tubes I sincerely think is more than adequate for normal listening levels... At the end of the day, who knows I might just stick to the JasA 300B and end up with another 60 watter from cj similar to the Classic 60SE which I just sold. I'm actually waiting to see if cj would ever put out a 300B design- that would probably be my primary choice.
Trust this clears the "oomph" part, and JasA really does not have much oomph at all, rather a more prominent note on the midrange that is delivered well within a small amount of level input, if that makes sense- this is Class A power I guess.
Cheers, RJ