|
Audio Asylum Thread Printer Get a view of an entire thread on one page |
For Sale Ads |
111.92.66.85
I am so attracted to the Jolida 301 hybrid integrated and am confused if it would fare better than my previous choice Marantz 6004 which was shortlisted after a long study. I find there is romance in having a tube pre and SS amp mated as in the Jolida. Is this a good decision, I wonder. My speakers are 89db ones and in future I will be buying more efficient speakers. So the 30 watts per side should be alright. I want to be a proud owner of a tube pre.
Best Wishes
Bill
Follow Ups:
I have the Jolida 301 Integrated in a bedroom system. I considered the Jolida JD-102B (all tube) amp but it would not fit in my cramped bedroom AV cabinet and I was also worried about excessive heat in a non-ventilated space.
I use all-tube units in my main system, single-ended and push-pull, and they all (individually and together) produce enough heat to keep the entire listeing room very warm in the winter and roasting hot in the summer. It's tough in the summer because I have to run the air conditioning on max to keep the listening room comfortable.
Anyway, the Jolida 301 works perfectly well in the bedroom setting. It runs cool and sounds good (especially after upgrading the 12 AX7's from the stock tubes). If you need more power, the Jolida 1501 sounds even better.
All the Jolida hybrids have a crystalline and warm sonic signature. It's like looking through (ultra-clear) rose tinted lenses. The hybrids also compare well to all tubed amps. They have the same luscious treble, the same mid-range clarity...they only differ in the bass.
With an all tube amp, no feedback and a low damping factor will cause the bass to sound different from speaker to speaker. Yet solid state output stages (such as those used in the Jolida hybrids) use a lot of negative feedback and thus have a really high damping factor and better control over speaker bass units. Bass quality varies less from speaker to speaker with the hybrids.
l, thanks for that hands on experience. It may not be very logical but I consider the Pre as the heart of a system and a glowing tube looks right. I loved the look of an amp which had one glowing tube seen thru a small window on the front plate. (Peachtree?) Here the room temp is 100 degrees except when it rains, so a tube amp is out of the question. Good to learn the hybrids are liked by you.
Best Wishes
Bill
There are full tube amps that run very cool - the Grant Fidelity Rita is no hotter than a SS receiver. 45 watts per channel (450watt max) pure class A no feedback amp using KT88s clocking in at over 100lbs.
Just something to explore as there may be others with such technology available - though the Rita is only $2400 due to the company owner's illness.
I often find you get the worst of both worlds not the best of both worlds with hybrids. I don't think SS does anything very well. And tubes can suck when you don;t spend enough money - likely due to the fact that they need high quality transformers and cheap amps regardless of design use cheap parts and cheap sucks. Class T amps I would give the edge in the inexpensive realm - they retain some SET sonic qualities problem is they're not too powerful.At $500 there is only so much that can be done.
Hybrids are iffy - one brand that did sound good was Shengya one of China's top Audio brands (OEM for numerous manufacturers).
The Shengya 216 might be worth a look as they're sold through Grant Fidelity. Unfortunately Ian Grant is very ill with cancer and they're selling a lot of things at deep discounts. So I would suggest looking at some of their amps.
Their stuff frankly blows Jolida or AMC to the weeds - it costs a bit more but it is worth an investigation.
216 review http://positive-feedback.com/Issue42/shengya_a216.htm
And the GF link
Edits: 03/09/13
SS and Tubes can work V welltogetrher... by my Direct experiences.
But then I refuse to buy Chinese Audio products.
I refuse to care what Racists have to say.
Edits: 03/10/13
for a few reasons: all tube, phono section and class A. A design that has been around about 20 years and for the same $499 as the JoLida. Type in AMC 3030 in Google images for pics. The AMC sounds great, better than the JoLida and I think JoLida is fine. Just make sure you operate it in a well ventilated environment as it is class A. There is also a Stereophile review online of the 3030.
ET
The AMC is SS input/EL34 tube output. I had a similar AMC3040G. If you go AMC be sure to get a model with tube sockets for the outputs. in this case, the 3030s or 3030as.
Opus 104
I think you get better sound with this type of hybrid - that is an ss pre then tube power. I think it is better than the overly hyped (IMO) tube pre and SS out. You really get the tube magic with tube power amps. People seem to think the tube pre will give you tube sound but I found that the SS power amps squashed the staging /halography and crystaline detail I hear with my tube power amps. I am sure I will get an avalanche of disagreement but so be it. There are some other enthusiasts who think the way I do.
For the OP I would be very tempted to try the AMC.
Steve
I always thought it was better to have tube pre. Perhaps I must look for a total tube integrated. Which are the solidly built dependable low priced ones? I am in a place where repairing, servicing, returning, exchanging, selling used et al are not possible. Buying an amp or speaker is a lifetime commitment like the life around here with no divorces.
Cheers
Bill
The Rogue Cronus integrated, especially in Magnum form, is a killer integrated, but it's nearly $2K.
Opus 104
nt
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -HST
KR Audio is all about that and One of the few things I miss about my former life is access to products like the VA-420 and Kronzilla.
I'm very aware of that. I see where I erred and meant to say all tube finals. I've sold plenty of AMC and JoLida. The bottom line is sound and in some cases price which in this case is the same but you get a phono section with the AMC. The AMC will sound much better than the Jolida and I am not a Jolida basher or hater. Isn't better sound the goal?
ET
Edits: 03/08/13
blows the AMC 3040G I had out of the water, sonically. No contest. The Jolida is tube input, driver and output, unlike the AMCs.
Opus 104
I can't say why but these things happen. We used to get lots of both Jolida and AMC in trade at work and the staff all enjoyed the AMC driving Quad ESL and Legacy speakers over the Jolidas. I guess other system synergy is at play here as one component does not make a system or a system sound.
ET
Opus 104
I guess it does boil down to personal taste like in choosing food, wine and woman
Cheers - ET
The Jolida is a fairly unique product. It is small, light, modesty pricedand sounds good with the right loudspeakers. Mine predates the remote volume control and has served well in office and bedroom systems.
I'm also interested in the Marantz.
My Dealer carried Jolida at one time.
He and his Repair Tech said it was unreliable, sometimes un-fixable, and had Hum problems.
They are Cute, and the small Integrated seems to have some good reviews.
The Marantz has at least two great reviews at What-Fi, one review and one mention for pairing with Kef Q300's.
Let us know what you get and how you like it!
Post a Followup:
FAQ |
Post a Message! |
Forgot Password? |
|
||||||||||||||
|
This post is made possible by the generous support of people like you and our sponsors: