Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?

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geowak

Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« on: 26 Dec 2008, 04:58 am »
Anyone have the 502a or b model? Any thoughts on this company and the sound of the units?
How well do they handle 4 ohm loads?

maxwalrath

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Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #1 on: 26 Dec 2008, 05:53 am »
I love them...as with all amps you have to spend time tube rolling to get the best sound.  If you are anywhere near Philadelphia you are welcome to borrow a Response Audio modded 502a (or b :scratch:?), or stop by for a listen

JIMV

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Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #2 on: 26 Dec 2008, 03:21 pm »
Anyone have the 502a or b model? Any thoughts on this company and the sound of the units?
How well do they handle 4 ohm loads?

I used a Jolida 202 for over a decade and found ti very reliable, great sounding and powerful enough to drive Maggie MMG's. Very good value for the buck.

carusoracer

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #3 on: 26 Dec 2008, 11:32 pm »
302b with Mundorf caps, very musical sounding :thumb:

Scott F.

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #4 on: 27 Dec 2008, 04:55 am »
The JoLida amps (102,302,502) are all well built and very reliable. They use quality iron which is more than half the battle. The circuit is simple, straight forward and time tested. With a couple of very easy and reasonably inexpensive mods (better coupling caps, B+ and grid stop resistors and maybe diodes if you want to go that far), you can have yourself one heck of a nice sounding amp for not much money at all. If you are buying new, when you call to place your order, the factory can install all of the upgrades I mentioned for a minimal charge. If not, any decent technician can do the mods if you aren't handy with a soldering iron.

tanchiro58

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #5 on: 27 Dec 2008, 08:34 am »
302b with Mundorf caps, very musical sounding :thumb:

Yes, but it sounds way better with Russian K40Y coupling caps and Riken resistors.  :thumb:

ltr317

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #6 on: 27 Dec 2008, 06:22 pm »
My stock Jolida 302a sounded pretty good with the right NOS tube complement, but recent factory mods have added more resolution without changing the tonal balance.  It sounds great now to my ears. 

JIMV

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Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #7 on: 28 Dec 2008, 02:10 am »
The JoLida amps (102,302,502) are all well built and very reliable. They use quality iron which is more than half the battle. The circuit is simple, straight forward and time tested. With a couple of very easy and reasonably inexpensive mods (better coupling caps, B+ and grid stop resistors and maybe diodes if you want to go that far), you can have yourself one heck of a nice sounding amp for not much money at all. If you are buying new, when you call to place your order, the factory can install all of the upgrades I mentioned for a minimal charge. If not, any decent technician can do the mods if you aren't handy with a soldering iron.

I agree completely but my 1996 unit was hardly an example of point to point wiring or beauty under the hood. It simply sounded great for a very long time.

Bill Baker

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Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #8 on: 28 Dec 2008, 02:55 am »
Quote
but my 1996 unit was hardly an example of point to point wiring or beauty under the hood. It simply sounded great for a very long time.

 Other than a very limited number of early 202 amplifiers, none of the Jolida amps had point to point wiring. They do, however, offer great value.

geowak

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #9 on: 28 Dec 2008, 07:18 pm »
Does point to point wiring really make the amps sound better? I know the Primaluna tube gear has pt to pt wiring.

ltr317

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #10 on: 28 Dec 2008, 07:45 pm »
Does point to point wiring really make the amps sound better? I know the Primaluna tube gear has pt to pt wiring.



Not from my experience.


tanchiro58

Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #11 on: 28 Dec 2008, 07:48 pm »
Does point to point wiring really make the amps sound better? I know the Primaluna tube gear has pt to pt wiring.

Point to point wiring in a source or amp sounds way better than PCB circuit however it depends on the quality of the components installed and best quality wires like OFC or OCC. I also heard Primaluna sounds good but too warm and slow.

flatmap

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Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #12 on: 28 Dec 2008, 09:35 pm »
I've owned one of the bigger Jolida amps for years.  It has the big sound you'd expect and good imaging.  As others are mentioning, you can choose tube type to adjust the sound.   I've never had any trouble with mine.

JIMV

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Re: Jolida amps??? Do they sound good?
« Reply #13 on: 29 Dec 2008, 01:24 am »
Does point to point wiring really make the amps sound better? I know the Primaluna tube gear has pt to pt wiring.

My Jolida 202 looked like a high school amateur radio class had assembled it under the skin but, it sounded great. My PrimaLuna Dialog II has impeccable wiring and sound magic....conclusion, neither is required if the circuit is set up properly, and both are. Pt to Pt wiring is more indicative of a desire for quality throughout, but is not a guarantee of good sound.

That said, the PrimaLuna is simly a differetn class of product...Ford v Jag. Both go but one is a tad more elegant.