Numerology. If you've wondered why the 250 monos would only make 25 more than the Job 225, that's because the latter's figure must first be divided by about 2 (for two channels). The stereo amp was thus rated at 125 watts RMS into 8Ω per channel. That's exactly half of what the monos do. So twice the box count for twice the power. As a brand committed to wide bandwidth like fellow Swiss darTZeel and Soulution (or Spectral in the US and Norma in Italy), the monos cite 10Hz-200kHz -3dB bandwidth with a slew rate of 80V/µs. The stereo amp was 60V/ms and 2Hz-0.9MHz ±3dB. Unloaded, with its inputs shorted, the monos' noise floor is <1µV across the audible bandwidth. Max power consumption at 8Ω with 1% THD is 410 watts. Unlike the Job 225, the twins get an XLR input to augment their RCA socket. Goldmund are especially proud of their very low distortion for "virtually zero group delay and very low IMD of below 0.01% with a 20Vrms output". Like the Job 225, the Job 250 are direct-coupled affairs to eliminate coupling capacitors in the signal path. Voltage gain is a high 35dB, dynamic range 112dB, damping factor 280 at 1kHz/8Ω. Weight is 10kg, dimensions are 36 x 24.5 x 12cm WxDxH. Given the small heat sink on the rear relative to the power rating, you've already figured out that Job 250 operations play in the more efficient key of class AB. They run cool and do not require a huge power transformer to remain compact and not too heavy. In short, on the power/price index, the Goldmunds with their linear power supplies compete fair and square against various class D options using ICEpower, Hypex, Pascal or Anaview boards with switch-mode power supplies. This plays to class D's 'power is cheap' attitude which gets routinely invoked by makers of inefficient hard-to-drive speakers to justify their inconsiderate design flaws. Except now you can sing that song with traditional circuits. Tralala.

For those who still labour under the misguided assumption that Job Sys. the brand and its products must by necessity be outsourced affairs, they most resolutely are not. Having visited Goldmund's facility across from Maserati's and Ferrari's Modena Cars dealership on 21 chemin des Aulx in Plan-les-Ouates, home of Geneva's famous business park which also houses Piaget and Rolex, I can confirm that production of Job models happens in the very same place as the exotic Goldmund stuff. Sub assemblies and circuit boards come from Swiss contractors. Should that cause you to slap your thigh thinking that if Goldmund can do the Job out of bloody CH and from one of the world's most expensive cities to live in, why can't other luxury brands from wherever they're headquartered... welcome to my club. When I talk to makers of costly but good gear, I routinely bring up the Job experiment. It's a living example for how to simultaneously serve two very different clients with shared technology that is scaled down and de-blinged for the direct-selling budget range. For now, Goldmund's Job models remain rare exceptions. But there are more coming for 2015, with an integrated Job amp next.

The Job 250 is exactly the same footprint as the 225 but taller. Popping the bonnet reveals why. The monaural power toroid is significantly larger. To enhance dissipation of the same eight p- and n-channel Exicon Mosfets, the finned heat sink stock of the 225 has grown in height as well.

If you use spade-connected cables from below, they'll end up on either side of the interconnect due to the arrangements of the connectors.

A day before Rodolphe Boulanger was to deliver, I asked for the still unpublished sub 8Ω power specs. That's because bitchy speakers can dip below even 2Ω. Here load invariance gave rise to the original Krell muscle amp. Such circuits double down their output into 2 ohms, sometimes even 1. Neukomm Audio's compact PA45S monos also from Switzerland for example deliver 400Wrms into 4Ω yet are intentionally good for 3'000-watt peaks into 1Ω. Their precursors were specifically designed with Apogee and ribbon-type amp eaters in mind. Such Napoleonarian behaviour nobody sane would expect of the happy-hour Job 250. But one may ask just what exactly they are good for. "We measure only for 8 ohms but I will recheck with Antonio." Rodolphe confirmed that mine was a common question particularly from Magnepan owners and promised to have Antonio generate the relevant figures. As it turned out, a 2Ω figure wouldn't be forthcoming due to that being "too low for the 250". But Goldmund spec their mono as 400Wrms into 4Ω (IEC 60665 standard at 1% THD) and as 450 watts FPP Job whereby the 8Ω rating would actually read 300wpc.