Jolida JD100

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TroyD
TroyD Posts: 13,077
edited January 2005 in 2 Channel Audio
Well, as most of you may (or may not?) know, I bagged a Jolida JD100 tube cd player a week or so ago so I thought I'd post some of my thoughts.....

Build quality is IMPRESSIVE. Heavy, solid SOB. The remote is in itself a lethal weapon, a massive chunk of metal with ball bearing buttons.

In stock form it comes with 2 Chinese 12ax7 tubes. Anyhow, I plugged it in using a SC power cord and DH lab IC's. Out of the box, the sound was less than adequate. No problem, I let it run for few days pretty steady. My impressions, given about 75 hours on the tubes were that while the sound was markedly improved, it wasn't the magic that we all heard here at Polkfest. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't bad, easily besting my AMC CD8b or the Philips DV963SA, but it wasn't THE sound I was looking for. Soundstaging was fairly wide but had little depth. Sounds were lacking individual depth and texture. Musical but somewhat 2 dimensional.

Then, Dave (DAGLJAM6) showed up with a brand new pair of Electro Harmonix 12ax7's. IF you bag this player, order a pair of these tubes. Don't even waste your time with the stock tubes. That was the ticket (mind you, this is right out of the box, imagine with some time to burn in?). Depth was restored to the soundstage. There is a much better sense of space between instruments. The silence is, well, more silent. The list goes on. I'd characterize the sound of this player on the warm side maybe at the expense of the last bit of detail but that's a trade off I can live with. Bass is not as controlled as you may be used to with a SS player but, again, it's a trade off that I can more than live with. I've spent an entire afternoon listening to the JVC XRCD Might Sam McClain's 'Give it Up to Love' (go out and get this if you don't have it) and have been just slack jawed the whole time.

Anyhow, just wanted to post some impressions. As far as associated gear, CJ PV7 tube pre, Carver Silver 9t's, Carver Amazing Loudspeakers. DH lab / Signal Cable IC's and speaker wire. I also removed the stock feet and have them sitting on some custom rubber isolation feet. I've also added some dynamat to the interior of the player.

BDT
I plan for the future. - F1Nut
Post edited by TroyD on
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  • TroyD
    TroyD Posts: 13,077
    edited October 2004
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    What XRCD's do you have? I'm looking to expand the ol' collection.

    BDT
    I plan for the future. - F1Nut
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited October 2004
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    Please excuse me for asking, but what the hell are XRCD's? Can they be played on any CD player?
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited October 2004
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    BTW, nice write-up on the Jolida, Troy. Looking foward to buying one myself. Gotta save up some money, though, so it'll be a while. Besides, I have to come up with real good reason for the WAF for spending close to a "G" on a CD player. Hell, I spent slightly more than that for the amp and pre I just bought.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • Emlyn
    Emlyn Posts: 4,377
    edited October 2004
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    Originally posted by Early B.
    Please excuse me for asking, but what the hell are XRCD's? Can they be played on any CD player?

    Info on XRCD:

    JVC XRCD

    Music Direct seems to be a good source for these as well. MFSL releases and some HDCDs seem to have similar results, and all are redbook compatible.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,840
    edited October 2004
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    Troy,

    Nice review, it's a very nice piece of gear. I really enjoyed listening to Dave's in your cave. Actually, for those who were not there, I spent most of my listening time with the Jolida and Troy's Carver/CJ set up.

    A couple of must have's from the XRCD line are Robert Lucas - Luke And The Locomotives and Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture. Another one that may be the cleanest recording ever is a limited production of River Of Sorrow. It's Chinese instrumental music and isn't something that one would listen to often, but to show off what your rig can do it's an excellent choice.





    Brad, XRCD stands for Extended Resolution CD and you can read about it and buy them here, http://205.231.187.178/shopping/
    and here, http://www.fimpression.com/default.aspx

    All XRCD's play on standard redbook cdp's, no special decoding is used. The sound quality is top notch with some approaching SACD quality.


    BTW, no 25, it's a XRCD 24 which stands for 24 bits.
    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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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,840
    edited October 2004
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    I thought of two more excellent XRCD's, they are Hong Kong imports and aren't cheap.

    Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?cat=45&sku=CJVC5483572

    The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over http://www.amusicdirect.com/products/detail.asp?sku=CJVC4908362
    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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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited October 2004
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    Very nice review, Troy! congrats on the new Toy! :)

    I haven't been looking at hi-rez lately, so the recommendation on XRCD is very timely. I stumbled onto CJVC1048 Salena Jones - the Best Collection. Whoa, this is one of those rare memory lane album from the eighties that I've been looking for. Needless to say, it's on order, along with Lionel Hampton/ Mack The Knife and MJQ/ Concorde. Look forward to them. Thanks guys!
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • Danny Tse
    Danny Tse Posts: 5,206
    edited October 2004
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    Another one that may be the cleanest recording ever is a limited production of River Of Sorrow. It's Chinese instrumental music and isn't something that one would listen to often, but to show off what your rig can do it's an excellent choice.

    I have "River of Sorrow" on (now out of print) stereo hybrid SACD and totally agree with the above statement. The CD layer on the SACD is HDCD-encoded as well. Actually the music does grow on you if you listen to it enough times. FIM also released this title on 180 gram vinyl.

    BTW, a "sequel" to "River of Sorrow" has just been released by FIM...."The Gossamer Song" is now available on XRCD24.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,840
    edited October 2004
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    Since Danny was nice enough to post a pic of the SACD cover in the SACD thread, I thought I'd post a pic of the XRCD24 copy.

    You can even listen to one of the songs here, http://www.fimpression.com/detail.aspx?ID=47
    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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  • Loud & Clear
    Loud & Clear Posts: 1,538
    edited November 2004
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    These Jolida pieces are very musical, and very well put together. Been enjoying my JD100 for nearly two years now.

    I've recently picked up some ancient Polk Monitors, a pair of 10s & 12s. Again, flat and musical, like the Jolidas.

    Vintage Polk, Jolida, SVS, Signal Cable ... big 'thumbs up' on these fine American companies.

    Two Channel Setup:

    Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 2-3
    Integrated Amp: Krell S-300i
    DAC: Arcam irDac
    Source: iMac
    Remote Control: iPad Mini

    3.2 Home Theater Setup:

    Fronts: Klipsch RP-160M
    Center: Klipsch RP-160M
    Subwoofer: SVS PB12NSD (X 2)
    AVR: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2030
    Blu Ray: Sony BDP-S790
    TV Source: DirecTV Genie
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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited November 2004
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    Vintage Polk, Jolida, SVS, Signal Cable ... big 'thumbs up' on these fine American companies.

    Hmmm. Not sure anymore where to draw the line when using the phrase, "American company." Just like so many other "high-end" audio companies, all of Jolida's gear is manufactured in China. It's assembled in Maryland.
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • Loud & Clear
    Loud & Clear Posts: 1,538
    edited November 2004
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    I guess the fact that they're quality controlled in Maryland was enough for me. I receive your point, though. Regardless of that, an excellent product that I doubt I'll ever let go of. Hope you enjoy yours if and when you get one. I'm sure you will.

    Two Channel Setup:

    Speakers: Wharfedale Opus 2-3
    Integrated Amp: Krell S-300i
    DAC: Arcam irDac
    Source: iMac
    Remote Control: iPad Mini

    3.2 Home Theater Setup:

    Fronts: Klipsch RP-160M
    Center: Klipsch RP-160M
    Subwoofer: SVS PB12NSD (X 2)
    AVR: Yamaha Aventage RX-A2030
    Blu Ray: Sony BDP-S790
    TV Source: DirecTV Genie
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,840
    edited November 2004
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    If enough of us get Jolida gear, perhaps we could have a joint Polk/Jolida tour. Polk HQ is about 30 minutes from me and Jolida is maybe 20.......Maryland rocks! :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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  • Early B.
    Early B. Posts: 7,900
    edited November 2004
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    L & C -- really glad you're enjoying your Jolida. Everyone raves about it. I went in a different direction, though (stay tuned).

    Have you done any mods to it?
    HT/2-channel Rig: Sony 50” LCD TV; Toshiba HD-A2 DVD player; Emotiva LMC-1 pre/pro; Rogue Audio M-120 monoblocks (modded); Placette RVC; Emotiva LPA-1 amp; Bada HD-22 tube CDP (modded); VMPS Tower II SE (fronts); DIY Clearwave Dynamic 4CC (center); Wharfedale Opus Tri-Surrounds (rear); and VMPS 215 sub

    "God grooves with tubes."
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited January 2005
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    I rolled some Ei Elite Gold 12AX7s in my Jolida cdp earlier this week. Truly a great sounding tube for $9 / each. It is supposed to be designed after Telefunken smooth plate tubes which are highly regarded.

    http://store.tubedepot.com/ei-12ax7eg.html

    Haven't tried the EH yet but will add to my list of tubes to put in the stash.
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  • dorokusai
    dorokusai Posts: 25,576
    edited January 2005
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    Jolida is built in China with final assembly, quality control and crap in wild and wooly Annapolis.

    It's neat that they are so close. United Home Audio/Jolida has a real nice selection of gear....why haven't we gone there again F1? We must be insane or afraid to walk in there with money....uh oh
    CTC BBQ Amplifier, Sonic Frontiers Line3 Pre-Amplifier and Wadia 581 SACD player. Speakers? Always changing but for now, Mission Argonauts I picked up for $50 bucks, mint.
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  • RobXant
    RobXant Posts: 201
    edited January 2005
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    I'm down with a trip to Jolida. I can't afford anything there, so I'm safe!
    Yamaha RX-V1500 // Outlaw Audio M200 (x2) Panasonic TH-52PZ700U
    Sony DVP-NS715P // Sony Playstation3 // Roku Soundbridge M1000[/color]
    Polk LSi15 (w/Monster Z2 Wire) // Polk LSiC // Polk LSi7 // Velodyne DLS-3500

    Workshop Rig: Creek 4330 // Technics SL-P310 // Cambridge Soundworks Ensemble 2
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 49,840
    edited January 2005
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    They are closed until 1/14/05, I will be there the following week. I want to check out the Lector cdp.
    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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  • organ
    organ Posts: 4,969
    edited January 2005
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    Thanks for posting the review, Troy. When I need a new source I'm getting a Jolida. Haven't heard any negative comments about them.

    Maurice
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  • pjdami
    pjdami Posts: 1,894
    edited January 2005
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    Got some EH 12AX7s in for the Jolida cd player. I'll install them this evening and compare to the Ei's.
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  • DAGLJAM6
    DAGLJAM6 Posts: 635
    edited January 2005
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    Definitely follow up on the EH's compared to the EI's I'm thinking about getting some more "stash" tubes and had considered the EI's.

    Dave
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