I took the plung...

Roy Munson

Well, I've been on a hunt for the right cdp for some time now and while I have been somewhat satisfied with a couple of players I've tried lately I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of my source and felt a change was needed! Sooo, I've been looking for a Jolida or a New Tube player and I decided on and purchased a Jolida on ebay. It should be here on Fri. This was a blind buy so I hope it's what I'm looking for in a source! It's supposed to be fairly new and comes with the stock tubes..I'll probably listen to those for a while before I decide whether or not to roll them. Most likely I'll be pestering you guys in the not to distant future for advice on what tubes to try.

dkg999

Congrats! I've had the Jolida since last December, and have been very pleased. I haven't even rolled in any different tubes, although I have heard the new EI LPS tubes are supposed to work well in this CDP. Enjoy!

F1nut

IMO and just about anyone else's that has that cdp is that the stock tubes are not very good. I found the Ei Elite gold pins sound the best (and yes, the tube sockets are gold) while some other folks like the Sovtek LPS best. Either choice runs about $15.00 a pair, so no excuse not to try them. Another worthwhile tweak is to change the stock power cord. The player responds well to the change. Enjoy!

reeltrouble1

F1nut wrote:

The player responds well to the change. Enjoy!

The goal of Therapy is change. Glad to see the player responded so well.

Congrats Rich. Enjoy.

RT1

dkg999

Agree on the power cord, I have a Signal Cable Digital Magic on mine. The stock tubes don't sound too bad to me! They seem to work well with my Audcom tube pre and the Maggie 1.6's. I need a different equipment rack to make tube changes a lot easier.

Roy Munson

I've heard a lot of good things about the Ei Elite gold pins. Does anyone know of a good source to purchase them?

I wrestled for a while on whether to get a tube cdp or a tube pre and I decided to start with a new source. A tube pre might be next depending.

Thanks guys for the advice, tubes are a new thing for me.

dkg999

Added the Jolida CDP first with a SS pre. Liked the change, then added the tube pre. To me, using the tube source and pre with decent SS amps produces a very nice sound. The right combination of smoothness and detail. Your ears may like something different.

steveinaz

What the heck is a "PLUNG?"....LOL

Roy Munson

I forgot the "e"....LOL!

Roy Munson

Jesse, is this the Ei Elite tube you are talking about?

http://www.tubesdirect.com/ei_detail.asp?ProductID=40&ProcessType=3

F1nut

Richard, that's the one. Beautiful, ain't it!?!

Midnite Mick

Listen to F1Nut when it comes to the Jolida cdp (not to say don't on anything else), he knows what he is talking about.

Mike

F1nut

Well, I don't know about all that, but thanks anyway.

Roy Munson

Jesse, those are nice looking..I ordered a pair and they should be here tomorrow [fri].

Thanks bro..

Roy Munson

reeltrouble1 wrote:

Congrats Rich. Enjoy.

RT1

Thanks Ted, how's your bro enjoying my, er..ahhh, I mean his 1c's?:)

reeltrouble1

errr..u mean mine????????:) He's got them singing nicely again. He got a huge assist from one of our favorite senior members.;)

RT1

janmike

Congrats Roy. Let us know the results.

Roy Munson

Ted, I heard Jesse came to the rescue!:)

Roy Munson

Michael, The Jolida arrived on Fri. but I didn't have a chance to check it out until Sat. night. This was an ebay purchase that was very good, the seller claimed the player was in near perfect condition and it came just as described with the original box etc. I ordered some Ei Elite gold pins that were supposed to be here on Fri. also but they didn't make it and I had to call Tubes Direct to find out what happened to my order. They were only coming across town and should have made it by Fri. but it seems there was some kind of mix up and the order didn't go out until Mon. I hope they come today [Wed.]..I think it would have been easier if I had just driven the 25 miles and picked them up. LOL btw, I hooked up the new cdp with the Analog 2's that I got from you..they're a little stiff but they sound real good..thanks!

So what do I think of the Jolida? First, I've had several solid state players in my system lately because I just wasn't getting what I wanted out of my source, mainly what was bothering me was the fact that every player I tried was just too dry for my taste. Two of the players I actually liked but it just wasn't quite what I was after. So enter the Jolida. It's a great player right out of the box that is very easy to listen to, some would say that it isn't as fatiguing as some players and I would definitely agree with that. I read a lot of reviews before I decided on the Jolida and most people really seem to like it but a small minority say that it colors the sound,,well..indeed it does, it colors it with a smooth tube sound that is very pleasing!! [digital harshness is reduced] The first CD I tried was The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Time Out. WOW!! The silky shimmer and decay of the cymbals on Joe Morello's kit is unreal and the Quartet sounds like it is in your room giving you a personal performance! This is a great sounding CD as it is, but on the Jolida it becomes warm and creamy. The sax on Take Five is just great with a lot more air around the instrument and it's a little more up front in the sound stage compared to either my NAD C542 or the Rotel 1072 that I auditioned, both of which are good players. I actually liked the Nad over the Rotel which probably puts me in the minority. I'm real interested to hear the difference the Ei Elites make as they come highly recommended. This is imo, [even with the stock tubes which are said to be crap] hands down the best cdp I have ever heard!

janmike

Thanks Roy - good review. I too am headed in the tube direction for a CDP. I currently have a Marantz SE-67 which I like, but I keep hearing the reviews about tube gear. At some point I will take the leap. Thanks again and glad the IC's are working out. Enjoy your new sound.

mhardy6647

(oops... wish this forum had a 'delete' option)

starchaser

Congrats on you new cdp Rich, enjoy!
As for MY 1C's... indeed, a polk senior hooked me up and then some. These ladies can sing!
Let us know what you think of the Ei Elites when you roll them.

t

Roy Munson

Hey Terry, glad to hear that YOUR 1C's worked out for you and that they literally stayed in the family! LOL

Roy Munson

Well, you know life is full of surprises and today I got a surprise! The Ei Elite gold pins I ordered came so I popped the top off of the Jolida to change out those crappy Chinese tubes and low and behold it had a pair of GE Jan-12ax7wa's in there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I emailed the seller of the Jolida with several questions before I bid on it but I never thought to ask him what tubes he had in it! Geez, no wonder it sounded so warm for what I thought were the stock tubes. I don't know much about tubes for Hi Fi, but I play a little guitar and these GE's are great in Fender amps with a very warm sound. So, I figured what the heck I'll put the Ei's in and see what I think. I 'm going to listen to them for a couple of days before I decide which pair I like best but my first listen which only lasted for about 20 minutes because I was strapped for time, I thought the Ei's sounded real good maybe better than the GE's. The GE's seemed a little too warm but I'm going to reserve judgement for a couple of days.

nasty^2

Edit: woops... misspost