jbsl Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 I am looking into buying a Jolida amp for my 2004 La Scalas and don't know which one to get. I can afford $1100 which would get me the 302b. The 302b has 50 watts which is plenty and has gotten excellent reviews. Can anyone who owns Jolida amps give me any help on the sound differences between the 102b compared to the 302b I don't want to have to replace it for 5 or ten years so I want the best sounding Jolida amp in my price range. The 102b has 20 watts which is plenty for La Scalas so how much better does the 302b sound compared to the 102b. Thanks for any help Xman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 My brother had the fabulous JoLida JD 202a which I believe is 40 WPC, and came with good sounding stock Chinese tubes (sounded even sweeter after tube rolling, natch). I was able to audition his integrated amp through my Cornwalls, and I was very impressed with the overall sonic presentation; fast dynamics, smooth and lush mids, and a soundstage to die for! Of course it's not the final word in PP EL34 tube technology, but for the money it's a sure bet with efficient Klipsch horn speakers! Just another JoLida model to consider... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev313 Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 ooohhhh. I had the 202. Loved it and miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jt1stcav Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 Yeah, my bro misses it now, too. He sold it awhile ago 'cause he got tired of readjusting the bias with all the tube rolling he did (stupid reason), and instead bought a MOSFET Adcom GFA-5400! Now he regrets having sold the JoLida and is thinking about buying another tube amp...maybe SET? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3dzapper Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 I have a Jolida 302b I bought from a forum member. In stock form it was nice but I recommend a few mods. The change of the volume control is very noticable and the OE coupling caps leave something to be desired. If you can do the mods yourself do them. If you can't here is a link to Underwood who does them on a regular basis and sells fully warranteed Jolidas with the required mods. http://www.underwoodhifi.com/mod_jolida.html I also put in switches for triode/pentode and FRED diodes and bypass caps in the power supply. I reccommend Svetlana EL-34 tubes for their nice sound at a good price. You can get them from Uncle Ned at Triode Electronics for about $60 a matched quad. With the changes the 202 for $1040.00 or 302 for $1390.00 will rival an amp costing three times as much from another manufacturer. Rick Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobile homeless Posted February 22, 2004 Share Posted February 22, 2004 I would DEFINITELY not buy any of the Jolida products new as they do not represent a very good bargain. USED is the way to go for the 102,202,or 302. All of these amplifiers perform well with some mods just as noted (and do fine with just some tube rolling). But at new prices, you can get a better amplifier used at this price point. Rick outlined some of the mods that make this amp peform better. Going with a better volume pot, bypass of balance, HEXFREDS in the PS, snubber circuit, better coupling caps, and some beefier caps in the PSU all make for gains. STill, the stock units perform quite well. The driver tubes can make a BIG difference in the sound here as well. Quality options here are well worth it. I have had several Jolida come through my house and heard a handful more. They are ok in the 400-600 price range. I would say they offer a slightly brigher presentation than some of the best gear. But the Jolida makes an excellent first amp choice if you dont want to go vintage (but between a good sounding EICO HF-81 and the stock Jolida 302B, I think the EICO is more refined sounding with a snoother top end and more natural mids). Another note, the 302a is actually exactly the same circuit and parts as the 302B, with only a chassis change. The 302a is sometimes a lot less. Again, if paying in the over 1K bracket, I would go with better gear. But a used Jolida is a nice option. Be smart on the purchase and ask plenty of questions. Better tubes sometimes bring more ducats. kh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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