Jolida Tube Amp

[OOK]

Does anyone here have any experience with a Jolida Tube Amp?  I have always wanted to try a tube amp....

OOK

[fsulloway]

I used one of the Jolida entry level amps for a while, 102 I think. It had a silky smooth sound to it but didn't have that punch that I'm used to like a solid state amp.

[OOK]

I wonder if it would be better to go with a hybrid amp.  One with a tube preamp section but a solid state amp section.  Sounds like the best of both worlds.       OOK

[dnsacks]

tube amps can have plenty of punch when used with efficient speakers (e.g. Klipsch, etc.) -- what model speaker are you looking to power?

[OOK]

Paradigm SE3Mk2    87dB 1W/1m.  Not real efficient. 

[macdaddy]

I have one (302b which i have modded) and love it. Run it with klipsch speakers which are super efficient. Great synergy. 30w/ch with the tubes is louder and fuller than 100+w of solid state. Not sure how that actually works, but I trust my ears...

[OOK]

I have one (302b which i have modded) and love it. Run it with klipsch speakers which are super efficient. Great synergy. 30w/ch with the tubes is louder and fuller than 100+w of solid state. Not sure how that actually works, but I trust my ears...

How hard is it to bias the tubes and how often do you do it?   OOK

[macdaddy]

Easy to bias the tubes, and you don't have to do it very often at all-certainly when you change them, and when I feel like checking them, or if one looks brighter/dinner than the others-I think this is more dependent on the tubes than on the amp...

[jlykos]

For a cheaper option, check out the Qinpu A-6000 MKII amplifier. It's a hybrid model with tubes on the output stage and 18 watts per channel. It is enough to drive my pair of Silverline Minuet speakers and those are rated at around 88 db efficient. Sounds fantastic and really easy to use.

[raymonda]

I just bought a 102b for the living room system. it is used with background music and tv. I have it coupled with a pair of Infinity Primus 160's and it sound absolutely wonderful. There is plenty of punch and volume. It is much better than the class D amp that I had been using prior, which is now our patio amp.

The highs sound very organic with a nice round low end. I like it so much I have been listening to this system over my reference system and it cost one tenth the price.

I would highly recommend the pairing of the Infinity 160 with the 102. I picked up the amp for around 300 and the speakers were bought as a gift for my wife a few years ago for less than 200. This is really her system since she using it when she is around the house. I've seen the 160's on eBay for 100 or so. therefore, for 400 you can get a really great sounding system that will allow you to enjoy your recordings immensely.

By the way, the tubes you choose and the bias setting will effect the sound significantly.

[Pinky Herman]

JoLida 302 or 502 are moderately powerful and great bang for the buck.
I sold one a while back and regret it to the point of shopping for an idénticos réplica,    wow, how'd this thing switch to Español ?
es muy freakidad.....

[bgalizio]

I love the sound of my Jolida 102b. It is powering Athena S3/P3 speaker/subs, which are very efficient. I appreciate the warmth of a tube amp. It's a great sounding amp for a reasonable price. No issues with tube biasing. It's quick and you don't need to do it often at all.

[Church-Audio]

I love the sound of my Jolida 102b. It is powering Athena S3/P3 speaker/subs, which are very efficient. I appreciate the warmth of a tube amp. It's a great sounding amp for a reasonable price. No issues with tube biasing. It's quick and you don't need to do it often at all.

All tubes will drift and pull more or less plate current over time. All amps should be biased at least once a year. And tubes should be tested at that time to see how close they are to each other * power tubes * preamp tubes left to right should also be matched to each other including each pair of sections. Also bias should never be done with out knowing plate voltage More often than not this can vary depending on the tube that is in the socket how the transformer is wound and they are all slightly different producing more or less line voltage, the circuit it self resistors caps drift from amp to amp not to mention line voltage. Making it impossible for a manufacture to say set it to this number and it will be perfect.

So biasing a tube amp just based on plate current with out knowing plate voltage is pretty useless. IMO you should never go above 70 % plate dissipation unless you have a class A amp. And again you cant do that with out knowing plate voltage and current draw. For some tube amps a bias meter like the Weber bias rite can be used or the Compu bias providing that your tubes are compatible with these devices. These testers give you plate voltage and current draw. This is a cool app I have on my iphone that helps me with the math. https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/tube-bias-calculator/id557429027?mt=8 This may not have some of the tubes you will be using but it should have most of them.
And remember a amp that is not properly biased will sound like ass.
Chris