build quality, sound quality, looks great!

none for the price

I have recently had the pleasure of adding a JoLida 302B to my two channel stereo. For the money this amplifier blows away what I have compared it with. I am using a Paradigm 90p tower with built in sub and a built in SS amp, the 302B drives the mid and tweeter. With SS amps, the highs were bright, almost painful, and the bass got "muddled" at volume. With tubes driving the bus, the mids and highs are effortless, but the really suprising thing is how the bass became more accurate and defined. Even though the bass frequencies are being amplified by solid state, adding the JoLida improved the sound noticeably. With the JoLida, the speakers seem to dissapear in place of the music. My listening room is 16x30 with vaulted ceilings and the 302B makes my Paradigm's sing without any sign of straining. I suppose if money is no object there are sexier brand names than JoLida, but if you are looking for a superior alternative to solid state for under a G, JoLida deserves an audition. I have never enjoyed my cd collection more than post-302B. Now instead of wondering what to tweak, I am buying more music and just listening! Thanks to Bill Baker at Response Audio for great advice that was right on the money every time. The Clarity wires I purchased through Response Audio sound great and are affordable; a great match to the JoLida. Speakers: Paradigm Monitor 90p (v3) CDP: Rotel RCD 1070 Line conditioner: Panamax Max 2000 Wires: Clarity Labs Emberglow IC and Speaker wire

Similar Products Used:

Harman/Kardon, MacIntosh, Sony, Bryston, Carver

the sound and the looks...

none

The Jolida is the first tube amplifier I ever own. I went to the store to find a decent solid state amplifier (pre and power seperated), but after hours of listening, they demonstrated the Jolida to me... My search was over... The sound is great: warm, detailed, not fatiguing, detailed. The only catch is that once in a while you have to re-adjust the tubes. However this is not difficult. The rest of my system: Tannoy R3 speakers (which are a great match to the Jolida) Arcam Alpha 8 SE CD player Rega P3 turntable Trichord Dino phono pre amp

Similar Products Used:

Rotel, Rega, VTL (which is better but more expensive)

Puts transistor amplifiers in this price range to shame.

Have not found any.

Once tubes had 8 hours use I re-biased the power tubes and just sat back and enjoyed the music. Could hear each and every instrument clear as a bell. Jolida you make music come alive.

Similar Products Used:

No.

Great soundstage. Very neutral. Great midrange. Good bass for a tube amp if you have the right speaker cable and interconnects.

None

I got the Jolida JD-302B in December 1999 after looking at amps since September. I started searching for speakers to enhance the sound of the entry-level stereo system I was then using. During the audition of quite a few speakers, I had the chance to hear numerous amp/preamp combinations. I started out listening to solid state amps, then one tube pre-amp and solid state amp combination and eventually all tube integrated amps. How any amp sounds will depend in large measure on what speakers and cables/interconnects are connected to it. As I went to different dealers looking for speakers, not all the amps I listented to were connected to the same source or speakers, so my analysis is not scientific, but is only my experience which lead to my purchases. I started out listening to Krell amps driving Martin-Logan speakers. They were fantastic, but were way beyond my price-point. Next I listened to Magneplaner 10.1 driven by a Jolida JD-1000. I was not impressed at all, but at the time I didn't know if what I didn't like was the speakers or the amp. (It found out later that it was the speakers that I didn't like. The amp is great). Next I listened to Yamaha receivers driving B&W floor-standing speakers. They sounded OK but nothing special, and certainly nothing as good as the Krell/Martin-Logan combination. Eventually the dealer gave me a demo on a complete Meridian outfit (cd/selfpowered speakers). This was also way outside my price range. Although it sounded quite good, it didn't have a great soundstage. Next I listened to Paradigm Reference 20 speakers driven by a VTL pre-amp and a Rotel amp. This combination sounded extremely realistic but lacked the soundstage of the Krell/Martin-Logan combination. Next I listened to a Pioneer amp driving Paradigm Monitor 5s and later Monitor 7s. I don't know if it was the Poineer or the Monitors, but I was not impressed at all. Lastly I returned to one of the dealers I had gone to initially but this time he had me listen to a VAC Avatar driving Linn Kan IIIs, then KEF Q55s, then Spendor S100s and lastly some samll JPWs. The KEFs, although not bad, were the least impressive of the bunch. The Spendors were great, but too expensive. The Linn Kan IIIs were GREAT and affordable. The JPWs were also quite good, but I believed the Kan IIIs to have greater presence and detail. So I bought the Linns. This experience proved to me that the best sound-stage was provided by tubes (unless you have umpteen thousands for Krells which I didn't). After purchasing the Linns I went looking for a tube amp I could afford. The VAC Avatar was quite expensive for me. This was the dealer who initially had me listen to the Jolida JD-1000 driving the Maggie 10.1s. So I asked to hear the JD-1000 on non-planer speakers and I heard it on the Spendors. Super stage-presence, even more that the VAC Avatar had in my opinion. This was on Chinese tubes in the JD-1000. Having read here of the JD-302B and its quality with upgraded tubes, I ordered one through this dealer without having heard one. I based my purchase on the JD-1000's quality and bought the JD-302B with Svetlana EL34s. I had numerous 12AT7s and 12AX7s at home being a ham operator. I put hallicrafter 12AT7s in and tried both Amperex 12AX7As and Sylvania 12AXTWAs. Both the Amperex and Sylvanias sounded good, but the Sylvania WAs seemed to provide more detail which I liked. At first the Jolida/Linn combination seemed deficient in bass, but upon changing the speaker cable from EsotericAudio zipcord to Analysis Plus Oval 12 and the interconnect from Radio Shack to a Tascam cord than came with a recorder I had, the bass really came to life. The Kan IIIs when placed close to a wall have surprising bass. To suplement the bass I also have a Klipsch KSW 10 downfiring subwoofer which is great for music. This system is used for music 95% of the time, movies 5% of the time. Eventually I'll probably upgrade the interconnects, but I'm surprised how good the sound is right now. My dealer has been super helpful in having good makes of equipment to listen to and is very helpful with good recommendations. I got my speakers and amp at Campbell HiFi in Huntsville, AL.
In closing I'll comment that my experience proved to me that (1)tube is better than solid state unless you have MANY thousands to spend on an amp, (2) that quality small speakers with a sub is just as good as, if not better than, a full range floorstanding speaker and cheaper to boot, (3)the Jolida with good tubes is not only as good as, but may be even better than high-priced integrated tube amps, and (4) that cable and interconnect upgrades do provide improvement.

excellent tube sound. crystal clear mids & highs and a wide sound stage

the bass could use some definition but with the right tubes this can be remedied.

My first tube amp and I love it. It enables me to be involved with my music.I solved the bass problem by replacing the stock pre-amp tubes with NOS G.E. Large Plate 12AX7's (GE LP12AX7PR) and Mullard CV4024/12AT7's.I use Swetlana EL34's for my output tubes.This 302B makes music sound so good I find myself spending hours listening to it.I'm even listening to cd's I haven't played in years.
I'm using a Marantz 67SE cd player with an X-10D from musical Fidelity and Kimber PBJ interconnects and a pair of acoustic Research 310HO speakers.

Warmth, depth, very smooth and realistic midrange and treble reproduction. Resolves low level detail very well. Just overall great sound.

None at this price

I will not get long winded here. What I will say is that the sound quality of this 50 w/ch tube Jolida is light years beyond the sound of my previous 200 w/ch solid state gear. I no longer have to tolerate the "glare" and "grit" of the solid state equipment. I no longer experience "listening fatigue" even during extended listening sessions - I've never derived more pleasure from my music collection. To me, that's what hi fi is all about - the music. I did not notice any lack of bass that others have mentioned until I recently swithched to small stand mounted monitors. I attribute this to the speakers, not the JoLida. I have since added a subwoofer to fill out the bottom octave a bit. (Great speakers, too. See my review of the ACI Sapphire III's) Very highly recommended. The JoLida is a steal at the price.

System:
Jolida JD302B(w/ Sovtek EL34 tube upgrade, NOS Mullard 12AT7 drivers and NOS 63 vintage GE 12AX7s.)
Njoe Tjoeb 4000 CD player(w/ "orange globe" label NOS Amperex 7308s in the output stage)
Alpha Core Goertz MII Veracity Speaker cable
Kimber PBJ interconnects
Music Hall MMF 2.1 turntable w/ Shure V15Vxmr cartridge
McIntosh MR77 FM Tuner

Similar Products Used:

My first tube integrated. It replaced an Adcom GFA 5500 200 w/ch solid state amp and McIntosh C28 preamp.

About two and a half years ago I had wondered into a hifi audio store in my city. The friends who I was with bolted towards the car stereo area while I snooped around the home audio section of the store. In one room, they had a pair of maggie SMGb (or SMGa) driven with a tubed amplifier. I do not remember the brand of the tube amplifier because I was more interested in the radically (to me at the time) designed maggie speakers. The salesman wandered in and proceeded to demonstrate the system after I nagged him to do so.
The salesman played an acoustic version of "Big Empty" by stone temple pilots. I was simply amazed at how real and natural the sound was. My jaw didn't drop because, at the time, I was more interested in HT and 400 watt amplifiers. I left the store quite impressed with that system but I was still unphased in my pursuit of ultimate home theatre. It's interesting how my musical priorities have changed dramatically since then. That experience started a seed that has grown and manifested itself in the setup I have now.

It is now 1999. Two and a half weeks ago I picked up a Jolida 302B amplifier. Even though the mail order salesman (Galen Carol www.gcaudio.com) advised that the amp would "sound like crap" for the first 20-30 hours of operation, I immediately prefered the sound of the jolida over the previous sony receiver. There was that sound that had been stuck in my head for over two years. It was there, emminating from the maggie MMGs. Pulled from my brain and presented before me like a lucid dream. A warm and very smooth sound as compared to my previous receiver. Ennui is a thing of the past. Listening sessions that would normally last an hour are now extended to 4 hours. Detail is not sacrificed. In fact, I have noticed that musical instruments sound more realistic. Instead of just hearing the twangy metal strings of an acoustical guitar, I can now hear the effect of the guitar's wooden cavity on the tone of the instrument. Saxophones have the slightly brash, musical metal ring as compared to the synthesizer saxophone sound that was prominent in the receiver.

This experience was with the included cheapy chinese tubes. Since then I have been using a quad of E34L groove tubes, a pair of NOS mullard 12AT7s, and a pair of the Cryovac GE JAN 5751s. One of the best things about tubes is the interactivity of changing the musical tone and timbre of the amp by swapping out tubes. "Tube rolling" is more of an art than a science. Results will vary depending upon the type of tube used and the circuit in which it is used. I have found that the tubes mentioned above provide an enhanced sound as compared to the stock chinese. However, results will vary depending upon speakers and the front end equipment that is used. I would encourage experimentation with tube types others than the ones I have listed.

I have since modified the amp into triode mode at the cost of $2 and 1 hour of my time. The triode mod cleans up the sound and makes it more detailed and immediate without sacrificing smoothness. I have no idea as to why one would charge $150+shipping to do such a cheap and super simple modification. Capitalism at it's worst, I guess.

I would recommend purchasing this amplifier and other jolida products from Galen Carol audio. He offers better discounts than the dealers who have posted their advertisements here. He is highly informative and friendly.

Tom S.

Just recently got my 302b, and am very pleased with it. The sound is great (although I can't wait to upgrade my other components), and the thing just looks beautiful - a great break from ho-hum solid state products.
My unit came to me with the EL34 tubes installed, so I can't comment on any others. Also, this being my first tube amp, I am limited in comparisons to other tube products.

I'm most impressed with the sound that the JoLida produces from my jazz CDs. Very warm. More rock-oriented CDs (I listen to a lot of widespread panic) also sound good, but I can't say great. I blame it on my other components, though. Perhaps I can give a more thorough review once I get some speakers, a CD player, and cables to do the JoLida justice. For now I'm going to give it 5 stars, based on jazz listening.

This little wonder does everything the big boys can do. It is very smooth yet not dull, detailed but warm, with convincing presentation of acoustic instruments and voice, and farely deep soundstaging. My only complaint is that with most speakers the bass is a little weak (this can be remedied with an easy mod though). The Chinese tubes it comes with gotta go. Sovteks will get it up to speed. I also recommend triode wiring the output tubes which propels this unit to new sonic hieghts with an all-around improvement (most in notably in the bass department). I purchased mine at www.bizzybee.com and if you don't like the idea of poking around in amp they can do the triode mod as well. In my opinion, this amp is the best integrated in its price range and perhaps twice the price. You'd have to spend much more to get anything better. asily five stars.

value, warmth of sound

To add to my review of almost 11 months ago...



Several months ago I swapped the stock Chinese EL34s for a set of Svetlana "Mullard copy" EL34s that I ordered from The Audio Advisor. There was certainly an improvement in all areas. A tube upgrade is highly recommended. I'm considering upgrading the preamplifier tubes to experiment further.



Listening to jazz is a treat with this integrated amp. The sound is very smooth and warm, making for a very enjoyable listening experience. Likewise, classical music sound excellent. Rock music is not the Jolida's strong point, although it's hardly a slacker in that area. Bass control probably isn't on par with solid state equipment in this same price range, but it isn't bad; simply not "excellent."



Construction is fairly good for a tube amp in this price range. The top (black) surface is fairly difficult to clean, and adjusting the bias via the plastic screws can be a little tricky.



I would suggest that anybody in the market for an integrated amp in the $800-1000 price range give this one a listen, particularly if your main musical interests tend towards jazz.



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