In 2025, as Tidal Audio moves into its own dedicated demonstration room to be showcased more as a complete single marque solution, our plan was always to expand out and develop the original Lotus demo room into its own fully functioning ultra high end space which can exist independently. This is a space offering sonic bliss along a similar financial scale, more choice from more of the world’s most ingenious manufacturers, a treasure trove of exquisite and exclusive audio equipment unrivalled in the UK.

Finding the correct amplification brand for this expansion was the most difficult task, near impossible if truth be told. This had to be equipment which could match the extraordinary sonic abilities set by Tidal Audio whilst at the same time being dissimilar in overall presentation and form factor. It had to possess the very highest degrees of transparency to fully do justice to the world’s finest and most resolving digital playback systems provided by our Wadax Reference and Wadax Studio products. It also needed to be a brand which is fair in pricing, exactly the same cost in every country and not stratospherically inflated or geared toward more of a status symbol audience.

An almost impossible task then, and for many years, our shortlist was around zero in length, until that is the seeds were sown for a potential Lotus / JMF partnership a few years ago when we first made contact with European distributor Michael Vamos of Audioskies. After ensuring our political and business ideologies were aligned, we finally scrutinised some of the key product here at Lotus towers in the Spring of 2025, and truth be told we were nothing less than completely bowled over. The very fair pricing, the build, craftsmanship and chiefly, the remarkable sound quality literally exceeded all of our expectations and hopes.

“The most honest and accurate sounding amplifier combination that we’ve ever tested in the 25 years history of Hi-Fi+” Alan Sircom, 25th Anniversary Winner, Hifi Plus

Like many of the bespoke companies we hand select here at Lotus, JMF exist in their own small esoteric world, happily divorced from the pressures of big brand building and the desire for infinite growth and profitability. So there’s a chance you may not have heard of JMF, especially as up till now, they have never been available here in the UK. But you’ve probably heard of Sting though, Simple Minds, INXS and Robert Palmer. Continuing the list, Aerosmith, Charlie Haden, Manu Katché, Randy Crawford, Shania Twain, Celine Dion, Mariah Carey, Joe Cocker, The Charlatans are probably also known to you. What about the London Symphony Orchestra, the Moscow Symphony Orchestra or even famous mastering engineers like Glenn Meadows and Tom Hidley ?

The JMF story is a long one full of depth and intrigue. Pioneering electronics engineer Jean-Marie Fusilier founded the company far back in 1974 for the manufacturing of control systems for industrial, defense and nuclear plant applications. With a fervent passion for audiophile equipment, in the mid 1980’s he also began designing amplifiers for recording studios, employing made-to-measure components from his established network of partners in the aerospace, defense and radar industries. The famous names above then represent just a small selection of artists whose music has been recorded in studios equipped with JMF amplification. Without you even knowing, they have been instrumental all along in your enjoyment of the reproduction of music.

In the early 2000’s Fusilier’s two sons Laurent and Arnaud, university-trained electrical and mechanical engineers, also joined the fray and spearheaded a new era, consolidating the company’s offerings for the audiophile consumer market, developing an impressive array of technology over the next decade or so. The fruits of their combined ingenuity included the world’s first ever 768kHz DAC and the CSV pure analog precision volume control seen in the current PRS 1.5 preamplifier.

As our very own Alan Sircom pointed out in Hifi Plus magazine, JMF represents the ultimate in straight wire signal transfer between source and loudspeaker. JMF performs at the very highest levels of transparency possible in a package which is unmistakably true substance over decoration and hot air. There are no budget products, no middle ground, no upgrades or moneyspinning add-ons, only a preamp, a power amp, two sets of monos and two phonostages. All of these things, they are all the very best that they can be, and they are designed to be references which last a lifetime. With a modular construction original units can be continually upgraded as and when new research and development allows, without the need for product change.

Buy once and buy right. We are hugely proud to have been appointed the exclusive UK retailer for JMF Audio and it builds the core foundations for a new range of ultra high end in Lotus Demo room 1 for 2025 and beyond. We can’t wait to share their incredible electronics with you.

“It’s not Aretha through Accuphase or Dylan through D’Agostino, as memorable and satisfying as those artistic marriages are; it’s Joni front and center with only a microphone between you and her soul.”

CLASS A ‘Best attainable sound for a component of its kind’, Stereophile