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- Nov 26, 2002
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It all started because of Geek:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=36195
I was in a similar situation, looking for a source for my Meier Audio PreHead / stock HD600. It has been painful, mostly because the amp (LM version) is quite revealing I think. But it seems that I have finally found a good balance between resolution and musicality. And the name is? Jolida JD100A.
Tuberoller has posted a review on it:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ghlight=jolida
You can also find some reviews on 6Moons and TNT websites.
I got a stock unit for $750. I bought replacements tubes from Upscale Audio (excellent service!) based on owners feedback I found here and there (Digital Drive forum in Audio Asylum in particular).
This is all fresh, I just received the unit today, but could not wait for the 100 hours of recommended burn-in ;o). So, take it for what it's worth, ... , not much!!!
First the look and feel. Well, for less than 800 dollars, I am simply amazed. 20 lbs (the 10mm front panel has his share for this ;o))!! The feel on the metallic buttons is very good, no cheap plastic stuff, even for the remote. Opening up the hood, it is not bad either. Well, it depends what you talk about. When looking at the attention paid to electromagnetic isolation, it is excellent. The transformers are enclosed, the drive / power supply board / output board are also separated from vertical spacers. What does not look so good is the components implementation. Many guys are not really straight, soldered in a rush, just like what you see in cheapo mass product CDPs. I guess that's what you get if you have the soldering done at reduced cost. But other than that, this machine seems really well built for the price. And at the end of the day, regarding how good this guy sounds for the price, who cares if not all the caps are at 90 degrees of the board!!!
Next is the ergonomics. The player operation is flawless. The track access is very rapid, all the functions behave as expected, there's no weird thing happening, I have absolutely no complaint. I was a bit worried because sometimes you have surprises!!
Next, the sound out of the box. I was impressed. Not harsh, very good detail, nice voice. I just found the bass a little rolled off and a bit muddy, but I did not expect something soo good out of the box! It was already very listenable and I did not feel it lacked detail at all.
I went back to work (difficult decision ;o)) and let the player run non-stop for a few hours (maybe 5 hours). I had originally planned to leave the stock tubes in there for at least 100 hours before making any judgment or start tuberolling. But well, I was just too excited about the tubes I had received same day, and HAD to play with it!!
So here are the tubes compared:
- stock (5 hours burn-in): Jolida 12AX7A
- replacement 12AX7 (1 hour burn-in): 1975 NOS Brimar CV4004/12AX7
- replacement 5751 (no burn-in): 1957 NOS RCA 5751 Blackplate Triple Mica
First, after the 5 hours of burn-in, I felt the sound was tighter in the bass region compared to the listening straight out of the box. I spent the evening switching tubes and listening to a couple of CDs that had a mix of classical, jazz and a bit of rock music. Some parts are good recordings but most stuff is not exactly audiophile grade (like these 40 year old jazz recordings I like so much).
Compared to the two replacement tubes, I feel that the stock tube is a bit bass shy, and quite rolled off. The soundstage is also much improved with the NOS tubes.
The Brimar tubes seem more revealing than both the stock and the RCA tubes. With the Brimar in place, the CDP definitely sounds brighter and I find it the less "musical" sounding of the three. I guess I should properly burn in those tubes to get the best out of them. I find this particularly strange because Upscale Audio consider the Brimar "slightly laid-back", which is why I chose them on the first hand. Also, I find the stock tubes and the RCA punchier than the Brimar, which sound a bit "slow".
The RCA 5751 were the revelation. I've read on Audio Asylum that the 5751 really outshine the 12AX7 on the Jolida and sound good right away. The guys over at Upscale Audio thing this is rubbish talk. I personally felt these RCA 5751 sounded MUCH better than the two other 12AX7 models:
- The soundstage is deeper, the instruments are not aligned in the ears planes and I actually switched off the cross-feed on the PreHead since I use these!!!
- The bass is not rolled off and has more impact than the stock tube or the Brimar. It actually sounds much like what I remember from the Meridian 588 I previously owned, which is GOOD!!
- The voices are more together with the RCA. The other tubes and many players I heard before this one had a tendency to separate the high pitch sounds and make them sound forward and grainy. With the RCA tubes, I don't have that feeling at all, and it makes the voices sound amazing!
- The RCA tubes lead to the most punchy sound of the three compared. This is good because that's a quality of solid state stuff that I would not like to give up.
The overall balance of the Jolida with the RCA tubes is probably a little dark. But, in my system, I like it a lot!! I was pleased when I first listened to my Meridian 588. But this time, it's something different. I feel that I have found what I was looking for soo long!!! The highs are sufficiently extended to my taste, I don't need any more detail than that. What I like is that the highs feel very fluid, the cymbals sound so natural in their texture and decay. I love it!!
Well, these are just first impressions. I may try to burn in the 12AX7 tubes at the occasion and give them another shot. But for now, the RCA 5751 stay in, and I smile BIG TIME!!!
Thanks to all those who pointed the finger at this player, they've made a happy man today I think ;o))
Wow, 1AM... I still have ... 286 CDs to listen to ;o) This hobby is gonna kill me!
Arnaud.
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...threadid=36195
I was in a similar situation, looking for a source for my Meier Audio PreHead / stock HD600. It has been painful, mostly because the amp (LM version) is quite revealing I think. But it seems that I have finally found a good balance between resolution and musicality. And the name is? Jolida JD100A.
Tuberoller has posted a review on it:
http://www4.head-fi.org/forums/showt...ghlight=jolida
You can also find some reviews on 6Moons and TNT websites.
I got a stock unit for $750. I bought replacements tubes from Upscale Audio (excellent service!) based on owners feedback I found here and there (Digital Drive forum in Audio Asylum in particular).
This is all fresh, I just received the unit today, but could not wait for the 100 hours of recommended burn-in ;o). So, take it for what it's worth, ... , not much!!!
First the look and feel. Well, for less than 800 dollars, I am simply amazed. 20 lbs (the 10mm front panel has his share for this ;o))!! The feel on the metallic buttons is very good, no cheap plastic stuff, even for the remote. Opening up the hood, it is not bad either. Well, it depends what you talk about. When looking at the attention paid to electromagnetic isolation, it is excellent. The transformers are enclosed, the drive / power supply board / output board are also separated from vertical spacers. What does not look so good is the components implementation. Many guys are not really straight, soldered in a rush, just like what you see in cheapo mass product CDPs. I guess that's what you get if you have the soldering done at reduced cost. But other than that, this machine seems really well built for the price. And at the end of the day, regarding how good this guy sounds for the price, who cares if not all the caps are at 90 degrees of the board!!!
Next is the ergonomics. The player operation is flawless. The track access is very rapid, all the functions behave as expected, there's no weird thing happening, I have absolutely no complaint. I was a bit worried because sometimes you have surprises!!
Next, the sound out of the box. I was impressed. Not harsh, very good detail, nice voice. I just found the bass a little rolled off and a bit muddy, but I did not expect something soo good out of the box! It was already very listenable and I did not feel it lacked detail at all.
I went back to work (difficult decision ;o)) and let the player run non-stop for a few hours (maybe 5 hours). I had originally planned to leave the stock tubes in there for at least 100 hours before making any judgment or start tuberolling. But well, I was just too excited about the tubes I had received same day, and HAD to play with it!!
So here are the tubes compared:
- stock (5 hours burn-in): Jolida 12AX7A
- replacement 12AX7 (1 hour burn-in): 1975 NOS Brimar CV4004/12AX7
- replacement 5751 (no burn-in): 1957 NOS RCA 5751 Blackplate Triple Mica
First, after the 5 hours of burn-in, I felt the sound was tighter in the bass region compared to the listening straight out of the box. I spent the evening switching tubes and listening to a couple of CDs that had a mix of classical, jazz and a bit of rock music. Some parts are good recordings but most stuff is not exactly audiophile grade (like these 40 year old jazz recordings I like so much).
Compared to the two replacement tubes, I feel that the stock tube is a bit bass shy, and quite rolled off. The soundstage is also much improved with the NOS tubes.
The Brimar tubes seem more revealing than both the stock and the RCA tubes. With the Brimar in place, the CDP definitely sounds brighter and I find it the less "musical" sounding of the three. I guess I should properly burn in those tubes to get the best out of them. I find this particularly strange because Upscale Audio consider the Brimar "slightly laid-back", which is why I chose them on the first hand. Also, I find the stock tubes and the RCA punchier than the Brimar, which sound a bit "slow".
The RCA 5751 were the revelation. I've read on Audio Asylum that the 5751 really outshine the 12AX7 on the Jolida and sound good right away. The guys over at Upscale Audio thing this is rubbish talk. I personally felt these RCA 5751 sounded MUCH better than the two other 12AX7 models:
- The soundstage is deeper, the instruments are not aligned in the ears planes and I actually switched off the cross-feed on the PreHead since I use these!!!
- The bass is not rolled off and has more impact than the stock tube or the Brimar. It actually sounds much like what I remember from the Meridian 588 I previously owned, which is GOOD!!
- The voices are more together with the RCA. The other tubes and many players I heard before this one had a tendency to separate the high pitch sounds and make them sound forward and grainy. With the RCA tubes, I don't have that feeling at all, and it makes the voices sound amazing!
- The RCA tubes lead to the most punchy sound of the three compared. This is good because that's a quality of solid state stuff that I would not like to give up.
The overall balance of the Jolida with the RCA tubes is probably a little dark. But, in my system, I like it a lot!! I was pleased when I first listened to my Meridian 588. But this time, it's something different. I feel that I have found what I was looking for soo long!!! The highs are sufficiently extended to my taste, I don't need any more detail than that. What I like is that the highs feel very fluid, the cymbals sound so natural in their texture and decay. I love it!!
Well, these are just first impressions. I may try to burn in the 12AX7 tubes at the occasion and give them another shot. But for now, the RCA 5751 stay in, and I smile BIG TIME!!!
Thanks to all those who pointed the finger at this player, they've made a happy man today I think ;o))
Wow, 1AM... I still have ... 286 CDs to listen to ;o) This hobby is gonna kill me!
Arnaud.
