Jolida JD-100A CD Players
Jolida JD-100A CD Players
USER REVIEWS
[Jan 11, 2015]
bob
Audio Enthusiast
this review is actually for the FX DACIII. The CD player is discontinued now. I did not see how to write a new review for the DACIII. I got an FX DACIII from Petery-Hedden Co. and those guys are great to deal with. I got a factory upgrade one. Wow is all that I can say. I have heard a lot of stuff over the years, but this outshines any records or turntables I have ever heard. This is smooth, detailed, refined. Nice bass, cleans up the highs, and it is pleasant sounding. I used a Sony 5 disc player with a USB port on the front. I have all my CDs copied to USB flash drives. Now I can play from the flash drives and set for shuffle. Days of music shuffled. Now running the CD player through the DACIII I get the sound I have wanted. Wonderful. Get one of these DACs. Same DAC that was used in the CD player. I love the Jolida amp and DACIII together. I am listening to music all the time now. |
[Jul 11, 2011]
kevinzeoli
AudioPhile
Liquid mids, large sound stage. This cd player cannot be beat for the money. It is better than most players on the market 5 times its price point. The one upgrade I would suggest is replacing the stock tubes with a pair of NOS Mullard 12AX7A's. The sound becomes even more glorious and detailed. The build quality far exceeds the price point. No attention to detail is overlooked. I am still trying to figure out how Jolida can offer such a good player at this price point and still be profitable. |
[Jan 19, 2010]
Frank
Audio Enthusiast
Great soud stage, sweet mid tone , and clear high tone. Bass is ok and response fast. Powerful enough to drive my dynaudio 62.
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[Jul 05, 2009]
Tune Man
AudioPhile
My California Audio Labs Icon II Powerboss had stopped working and was going to be expensive to repair so i set out to find a replacement. I first tried the Cambridge Audio Azur 640C V1. A decent player for the money but not even close to the CAL. I sold the Cambridge and decided I would have to spend more to get the sound I wanted. I bought a Arcam Diva 82T and really liked the ergonomics, but found the sound very dissopointing. Very sterile with a small soundstage. I decided to try the Jolida JD-100A. I liked it better than the previous 2 players right away. Warm sounding with a big soundstage. I had the stock Chinese tubes in it and decided to try upgrading to new production Mullard Cryo-treated tubes which sounded different but not really better. Then I decided to try some NOS tubes and got a good deal on some GE 5751 from the 60's. Wow!
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[Jun 01, 2009]
jazz cat
AudioPhile
This unit has transformed previously unlistenable CD's into something which is enjoyable. I would suggest that anyone that is curious about whether tubes are all they are cracked up to be to demo them at a local high end retailer. One of the best purchases I have ever made.
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[Apr 05, 2008]
wpm
AudioPhile
Strength:
Wonderfully smooth and coherent sound from top to bottom, with great bass. Plug it in and forget about it convenience . Price. May be the last audio components you will ever need.
Weakness:
Might leave you feeling guilty about the price you paid for such fabulous sound.
The Jolida JD-1501A solid-state/vacuum tube hybrid integrated amplifier and Jolida JD-100A vacuum tube CD player. I purchased these components as a pair so the context of this review reflects the use of both units.
Customer Service First rate! Similar Products Used: Too many to list, and most were over priced and over hyped.
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[Feb 19, 2008]
abcxyz
AudioPhile
Strength:
-With the tube design, it sounds very musical and engaging.
Weakness:
-Does not upsample or identify HDCD cd's as such if that really matters.
I am very pleased with this cd player. It is very engaging. It is very detailed and does voices very well. It was able to bring the excitement of Who's Next out where I had to hear the whole Cd non-stop. It is engaging as in bringing you into the groove when I hear James Brown's Foundations of Funk. You just get lost in the music. Also, buying it used, it was the least expensive cd player of all the players I ever had new or used in my home.
Customer Service Purchased used. Similar Products Used: Cary 308T, 308, Arcam FMJ23, Meridian 506, Naim 5i, Rega Apollo, Arcam CD92, 62T. |
[Feb 06, 2008]
Dave
AudioPhile
Strength:
Sound overall is great. Midrange to die for! Build quality! Remote is metal!
Weakness:
Power light is too bright. An excellent player to put warmth in an otherwise neutral to slightly hot top end sounding system. Out of the box the player sounded very good. The mids were as smooth as any really expensive CD player I've heard. High end is crisp with no hint of digital harshness. Bass is pretty good. Maybe not quite as locked in as the krell CD300 I had in my system. I'm not sure I believe in break in but if the player gets any better in the next month or so I'll be even happier. Female vocals are dreamy smooth and warm. Guitars sound so real as if they are in the room. The high end is just incredible. Zero listener fatigue!!! The best I can do to discribe the sound is slightly on the warm side of analogue.
Customer Service N/A Similar Products Used: Krell cd 250, 300, Theta digital miles, california audio labs tercet, acurus cd 11, marantz se67, etc. |
[May 16, 2007]
higherfi2
AudioPhile
Strength:
Build quality, tube midrange, value, no upsampling
Weakness:
Ridiculously bright blue light. No rhythm. Very overhyped product has me scratching my head. Yes, tubes do impart a rich, startling midrange, however at a loss of treble refinement and extension. Bass is full and pretty darn good, the problem with the CD player is PRAT. There is No "Drive" to the beat of rock music. Tube rolling is a mixed bag. Everything sounds slightly better than the stock (in my unit) Sovteks, but NOS sylvanias sound no better than the new and cheap ElectroHarmonix, IMHO. (I evem tried vintage RCA blackplate 5751's, no better either). Save your money. Problem with my system may be too many tubes, with tube preamp, and Jolida tube CD player. Maybe just one or the other would be better. I will have to borrow a SS preamp and experiment. I am hooked on female vocals and jazz with this unit, but if you want to rock out, forget it. Customer Service N/A Similar Products Used: Numerous |
[Oct 04, 2006]
johnjohn
Audio Enthusiast
Strength:
Smooth sweet sound, transparent and dynamic. Competes well with players costing much more.
Weakness:
First sample didn't work, but the replacement has been perfect. The first sample failed when turned on. The replacement has worked perfectly. Fast disc access! Smooth, sweet and transparency, but also extended and dynamic. Great soundstage! Gets down to the emotions of the music. Balance very natural but needs a while to break in (lower mids were a little lean out of the box). Not synergistic with Thiel speakers; much better with Paradigm Reference. One of my two favorite budget players - the other being the new Marantz 8001 (has fuller mids and bass but soundstage not as palpable or deep). Both players appear to be better built than the competition - both weigh close to 20 lbs and have hefty power supplies. My engineering friends tell me weight is a good indication of quality, not only in amps but also in CD players because of the importance of power supplies. Chunky remote - don't drop it on your foot. Customer Service Excellent. The replacement unit arrived within a week. Similar Products Used: Marantz, Rotel, Pioneer |