[drystream]

Over the weekend I noticed that the preamp tubes on my 1501RC remain powered up when switching to standby, either using the remote control or using the switch on the front of the unit.  There is no output to the speakers in this condition--output only occurs when I switch it out of standby.

The only way to get the tubes powered down is to use the switch on the back of the chassis.

I'm wondering if there is anything that can be reset by me, or if something has burnt out on a circuit board.

[JohnR]

In my CAL Alpha, standby removes the high voltage from the tube but leaves the filaments turned on. This reduces the wear on the tube but keeps them warm. In other words, they will still glow on standby. I expect the same thing is happening with your preamp.

[drystream]

Thanks for the input John, but I'm sure that the tubes should go off completely when the JoLida goes into standby.  At the end of an evening of playing LPs I routinely hit the standby switch on the amp and then switch off the turntable.  I watched many times as the tubes faded to black.

What clued me in that something was amiss was that the top of the case was warm when I went to brush some dust off the other night.  Usually the case is cool to the touch when the unit has been in standby for a while, but this time it was as warm as it is after running all evening.  I'd been using my Pioneer home theater amp all weekend, so the JoLida should have been dead cold.

JoLida also cautions not to leave the 1501RC powered up all the time because it causes premature wear of the tubes.  I'm still waiting to hear back from the manufacturer--just thought I'd check here to see if any other 1501RC owners have had this happen.

[mattybumpkin]

My Audible Illusions L-1 has standby, and the filaments are illuminated.  Same thing as mentioned above.

There is a thread just started that talks about tubes (tube life)  remaining "on" all the time or constantly turned "on" and "off".  I think the standby mode where less power is going through them is the best of both worlds.

Regards,

"M"

[Bill Baker]

Actually, NO, the tubes in the 1501RC shut down when in standby and there should be no sign of any "glow". To be honest with you, I have never come across this nor have I heard of anyone mention this to me.

  I do not know where the problem is to cause this situation other than possibly a defective switch or the digital switching circuitry. How old is your amp? The warranty is transferable if it was purchased used!!

  I would recommend contacting Jolida directly and speaking with Shawn or Larry. Jolida is very good about their products. If it is something that needs to be sent in, you can ship direct to them or if you are closer to me, I could do the work. I would start with the phone call to them first.

 Please let us know what they tell you. Their number is 800-783-2555 and best time to call is 9am-4pm Eastern.

[JohnR]

Actually, NO, the tubes in the 1501RC shut down when in standby and there should be no sign of any "glow".

Well, my curiosity is piqued! What is the difference then between standby and turning it off?

[drystream]

Bill,
I called JoLida, and initially the guy [I didn't get his name] said that the tubes remain powered up on standby.  When I replied that this was a new condition, and that they've always powered down since I bought the amp in Sept., 2001, he said that there must be something wrong, but didn't know what it could be, and said to ship the amp back to them.  He thought that the condition could lead to a short-circuit that could damage the amp.

I'll send it in and let you know what it turns out to be.

[drystream]

An update--I sent the amp to JoLida and they received it on Jan. 22nd.  Six weeks later all I know for sure is that their customer service really sucks.

I didn't get any confirmation that they'd received it, so I called in early Feb., and was told that they were snowed under with units being serviced, but that my amp was next in line to get looked at.  The guy I talked to said he'd call back the next week to let me know the status, which he never did.

Then earlier this week I sent an e-mail asking about the status of the unit, which was also ignored.

I guess I could have anticipated this since it took over 2 years for them to get me the correct owners manual, but the situation is still frustrating and disappointing.

[Bill Baker]

I am sorry to hear this and actually a bit surprised. Jolida has always been very good with customer service for the past 8 years I have been working with them.

  I do know they were quite a bit behind and just put another tech on staff. No excuse though, I know. If I was better at diagnosing the Hybrid amps or wasn't so busy with tube amp mods, I would have had to send it to me and I would have taken care of it for you.

[drystream]

The problem with the amp was resolved to my satisfaction, and I wanted to acknowledge JoLida on this message board.

To recap, I got the amp back after 8 weeks; it was said to be a bad relay switch.  I reconnected everything, and after switching the amp back on, got acrid white smoke out of the top and complete shutdown (within about 30 seconds).

Contacted JoLida again, sent the amp back.

After a week or so I got a message that there was apparently a problem with the transformer, that the repair would be fairly involved, and that they were going to send me a new amp at no additional cost.

So altogether it took about 10 weeks, cost me $70 for shipping, and I'm back in business.

Their initial response time was too slow, but I understand that a small company can have issues with staff and the volume of work.  Their solution to my problem was more than fair, and based on that I would buy their product again.

Since I whined a bit, I want to let others know that the company stepped up.  If I need service in the future, I'll have more patience, knowing that the problem will eventually be resolved.  Thanks JoLida.