Which amp is the best? Yep, changed my mind again.

AintJoM0mma
AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
edited July 2004 in Speakers
After much guidance from sean I have one question. Which amp sounds the best?

A) Jolida 1501RC (Hybrid)
B) Jolida 102B With Mods* (Tube)
C) Jolida 301 (Hybrid)

Mods: This is the newest JD102B that has the transformer cover added for a smart handsome look. We have gone inside and upgraded all the signal path capacitors to audiophile grade pieces. (6 in all) A balance bypass modification is included to avoid running the signal through the cheap chinese switch. Balance is unnecessary on these amps anyway. The chassis is damped and shielded with StarrDamp CS, and the unit comes with 4 KTS iso damp discs for under the feet of the amp. This is for vibration isolation. All the preamp tubes and driver tubes are upgraded to Russian ElectroHarmonix for a more open transparent sound, and the 4 EL84's are also EH of Russia.
I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

Post edited by AintJoM0mma on
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,729
    edited July 2004
    Originally posted by AintJoM0mma
    Which amp sounds the best?

    The one that you end up owning. Please buy something and fast, you're killing me with all these posts. :D
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • AintJoM0mma
    AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
    edited July 2004
    LOL. Seriously this time. On behalf of Sean.
    I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

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  • AintJoM0mma
    AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
    edited July 2004
    yeah it was your decesion to get jolida amps.
    I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

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  • Terrax
    Terrax Posts: 483
    edited July 2004
    If you allow everyone else to make choices for you, you will never be a complete and content person. Seems you are wasting one of the best gifts you will ever receive. Now, get out and go listen to this stuff for yourself. Make your own mind up. :D

    Edit: Hm....... Ok, nevermind then.
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited July 2004
    The wheels on the bus go round and round...:)

    OK, now you want tubes. If you're planning to get an amp with power tubes, DON"T get the LSi. I can tell you right now that my RT800i kicked the LSi9's **** when being powered by a tube amp. Most tube amps don't have the juice to power the LSi properly.

    As for your question...only you can tell which amp sounds best to YOU.

    I wouldn't recommend a tube amp to anybody just starting out. They're high maintanance and tube relacements can cost quite a bit. You may want to look at a tube pre amp/SS amp combo first.

    Maurice
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited July 2004
    Alright Sean! When can we expect a review of the new toy?

    Maurice
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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited July 2004
    The low maintanance ones should be good. In a small room he won't need a lot of power. A small tube amp in an intimate room can be really sexy.

    WOW! You're very happy about the unit. That's great to hear. Are you going to stick to tubes and forget digital amps? How's the build quality? It looks awesome on thei site.

    Maurice
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  • User Name
    User Name Posts: 106
    edited July 2004
    You really AintMaM0mma because even she's less damanding than you are!
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  • Mazeroth
    Mazeroth Posts: 1,585
    edited July 2004
    Crown XLS-202A or XLS-402A...no other amp can give you this much GOOD CLEAN power so cheap. Trust me on this.
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  • dave shepard
    dave shepard Posts: 1,334
    edited July 2004
    I would highly suggest that you get in the shallow end of the pool before going in the deep end. You can spend thousands on a set-up and not be happy with something or you can start on the cheeper side and upgrade each piece till you get it where you want and in the process you will come away with knowledge and that my friend is where you learn which is best suited for your budget and application. Simply because you have the best speakers and electronics doesn't mean you will have the best sound for your room you can take my set-up and put it in your room and they will sound completely different. The main thing is to get started (if that is what you really want) and go from there. In time you will change something, that I assure you. Now get busy go out audition some equipment and buy something.

    Dave
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  • AintJoM0mma
    AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
    edited July 2004
    Can you describe the sound of a tube amp in comparison to a solid state amp?
    I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited July 2004
    Sean,
    That's cool. Where do you think tubes fall short of SS? Bass could be a problem if you own hungry speakers. But as you go up in efficiency, speed, bass and slam can be as good as SS. What's the eff of the Audio Note?

    So the toys are still coming in. You lucky ****;).

    AJM,
    Tubes sound very different than SS amps but matching the correct speakers to a tube amp is VERY important. What you want to look for is a pair of high efficiency speakers (90db/w/m or more). The more sensitive the speakers, the better. Tubes sound warmer, smoother and have better texture and 'air'. But what I find to be the best thing about tubes is their ability to bring out the emotions in your music. Those who have crossed over aren't going back.

    Maurice
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  • AintJoM0mma
    AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
    edited July 2004
    Sensitivity (Anechoic) 91dB @ 1 watt/ 1 meter

    Hows that?

    http://www.ascendacoustics.com/pages/products/speakers/cmt340m/cmt340m.html

    Tube or Hybrid?
    I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited July 2004
    Sounds good. According to their specs, it's 92db/w/m for 'in room'.

    A tube amp should power that with no problem and you should be able to hear a lot of that tube sound.

    Tube powered or hybrid will be up to you. Do you listen loud, med or low? What kind of music? Bass should not be an issue because your room isn't large and I highly doubt you'll need a subwoofer.

    Here's a speaker you should check out... http://www.klipsch.com/product/product.aspx?cid=629 At 96db/w/m, they will rock your house. I have the tower version with two 8" woofs and they will slam you. My favorite pair of speakers so far. IMO, tubes sound best with horns. Tubes were designed to power horns back in the days.

    An integrated amp you can check out is Antique Sound Lab. Here's a pretty one... http://www.divertech.com/aq1003dt.html

    Maurice
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  • AintJoM0mma
    AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
    edited July 2004
    I would be listening at medium volume. I listen to a bit of everything but mostly alternative rock. Weezer like stuff. Sometimes oldies, classic rock. Led Zepplin, The Kinks. Yeah thanks for the amp suggestion but ive already decided if I get a tube amp it will be the Jolida 202B (A with a blue LED I think :D ). And those ascends are the speakers for me. I just have to decide on tube or hybrid Jolida. As for speakers, I see a good deal on the klipsch RF-35 towers. Its between them and an ascend CMT-340. What do you think?
    I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited July 2004
    I almost purchased the same int amp before. It was between that and the ASL. The Class A design was a turn on, but the Class A/B Ultralinear on the Jolida is a similar design to my fav amp. I fixed the vintage amp and haven't thought about upgrading since I first heard it.

    With your listening habits, tubes is a better choice if you don't mind tube changes and adjusting bias.

    The 202B will have more tube(better:)) sound than the hybrid.

    I've never heard the CMT-340. I've been extremely pleased with my RF-35. They just continue to amaze me everytime I listen to them. But seriously, those speakers would tear your room apart (no joke). The "klipsch sound" is not like your ordinary speakers. The dynamics is so real, it's scary. You should look at the bookshelfs. Even the RB-35 is close to overkill for your room. If you could set up a system in a larger room, and like you said, you could get a good deal on the RF-35, why not?

    Here's a review I posted on the RF-35: http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15038&highlight=rf35

    Can you get a good deal on their bookshelfs as well?

    Maurice
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  • AintJoM0mma
    AintJoM0mma Posts: 131
    edited July 2004
    LOL I want it to tear my room apart. I want sound that everytime I turn it on, I jump. hehe.
    I = NOOOOOOoooooo000b

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