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Top Ranked Products from Jolida.
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Rating
Reviewed by:
wpm
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
April 5, 2008Overall Rating
 5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
1 to 3 months Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
3.00 votes
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Review 1 of 42
Price Paid:
$0.00 Summary:
The Jolida JD-1501A solid-state/vacuum tube hybrid integrated amplifier and Jolida JD-100A vacuum tube CD player. I purchased these components as a pair so the context of this review reflects the use of both units.
This is the combo that will have all the big-rig makers afraid. Three reasons: first, they are made in China. Second, they are inexpensive. Third, and most importantly, they sound awesome! Well, I can add a forth to this list; they are very well made, too.
No need to wax over what other reviewer’s have already said, except to add that this paring has replaced an “all-tube” USA made, mono-block system valued at over $5K. I have absolutely no regrets in selling off the mono system; I only wish I had stumbled upon these Jolida’s before shelling out all that green.
If, like me, you have grown tired of perpetually swapping out audio gear, then this is the system for you. It’s one that you can simply set-up and immediately start enjoying the music with. Forget about the “high-end” components. Rubbish! This system makes music, plain and simple.
From top to bottom this system delivers. It is transparent, dynamic, and the bass on my Vandersteen 1B’s has never sounded better. Right out of the box they sounded fabulous, but give them some break-in time and everything opens up and smoothes out.
I experimented with different tubes and found that, for my ears and liking, a pair of Amperex 12AU7’s (yes, 12AU7’s can be used) in the amp and Penta Labs 12AX7’s in the CD player sounded best. Your results may vary, so experiment to your heart’s content. There’s no wrong combination.
I am very pleased with these two Jolida products and they will be with me for a very long time. And, the nicest thing is that I was able to purchase a 50-inch plasma television with the left over money from the mono amp system sale!
Strengths:
Wonderfully smooth and coherent sound from top to bottom, with great bass. Plug it in and forget about it convenience . Price. May be the last audio components you will ever need. Weaknesses:
Might leave you feeling guilty about the price you paid for such fabulous sound. Similar Products Used:
Too many to list, and most were over priced and over hyped.
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Rating
Reviewed by:
abcxyz
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
February 5, 2008Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
More than 1 year Visitors rate this review
3.50 of 5,
2.00 votes
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Review 2 of 42
Price Paid:
$620.00
from Wally Underwood HI-F Summary:
The 1501A gives me the best sound for the money! After hearing all the British amps near its price-point, none of them came close to giving the dynamics and sweetness I get from this hybrid amp. It may not just be intro amp for some while waiting on other gear but perhaps your last one if you are trying to stay on a budget. The 1501A presents the tube warmth in its preamp stage that all solid state integrateds can not compete with at this price-point. If you are like me and want an amp with minimal features that will not obstruct the signal path and degenerate the sound, this is a great amp to check out while it is still at a reasonable price! This hybrid amp is closer to separates in its sound than the other ss integrateds at this price-point. I had the Modulus 3A tubed preamp with a Belles 150 Hot Rod ss amp before and you still need 2 interconnects that match well and more circuitry affects the signal. With the 1501A, you eliminate that extra interconnect between the preamp and the amp which maintains or improves the signal performance. The 2 tubes in the preamp section are just there if you do not want to hassle with them or if venture to experiment with other tubes (tube-rolling), after the amp has over a 1oo hours of playing time or more, trying the Sovteks 12ax7s improves the clarity of the sound still more.
When I match the 1501A with the Vandersteen 1Cs (which are just a bit laid-back sounding), it gives me a top to bottom sound performance on these speakers. They are really a great match together! For more forward attack, I now have the Quad 12L monitors also and these speakers love the 100 wpc solid state power that the 1501A can deliver! While I also now have an all tube amp, the 1501A is still with me as a back-up for listening sessions with a quicker and tighter bass slam that only solid-state amps can deliver especially on various kinds of Rock music.
Strengths:
-The warmth of tubes in the preamp section
-Only 2 tubes to replace after more than a thousand hours
-100 watts per channel amp section for only $600
-an unpretentious minimalist design
-quality ALPS knobs on face-plate
-no obstruction to signal path from additional accessories
-can be ordered with a sub-outputs
-solidly built Weaknesses:
-no remote control
-none really at this price-point Similar Products Used:
Arcam P25, Rotel RB1070, NAD 320BEE, Naim 5i, Cambridge Audio Azur, Cary, Rogue, Belles, Decware Zen, Audible Illusions..
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Rating
Reviewed by:
skovn@rd(Unregistered User)
(AudioPhile)
Review Date
May 8, 2007Overall Rating
 2 of 5
Value Rating
2 of 5
Used product for
3 Months to 1 year Visitors rate this review
2.00 of 5,
8.00 votes
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Review 3 of 42
Price Paid:
$700.00
from butikken Summary:
39 reviews, and 4,82 out of 5... -I've allways wondered how much stock You should put in these reviews - and it 's not a lot, I guess.
Let me warn You: I've had the jolida 1501 amp for several months, tried it with many different cdp's , speakers, tubes, and even cables.
No matter what I tried, the sound allways ended up being muddy and shut-in and grainy. Surprise, surprise - that is the sound of the jolida.
Having since then tried several other amplifiers of similar price, I would put the jolida at the very bottom of that list. It's just to grainy to ever be interesting. Getting a new amp after the jolida, was like shedding two blankets from the speakers.. Strengths:
looks, power, tuberolling is fun Weaknesses:
muddy, grainy, shut-in Similar Products Used:
quite e few
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Rating
Reviewed by:
thawattg
(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date
March 5, 2006Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
3 Months to 1 year Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
6.00 votes
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Review 4 of 42
Price Paid:
$460.00
from Audiogon Used Summary:
Overall an excellent piece of audio equipment for the price. Excellent build quality and excellent sound. This integrated amplifier will appeal to those with a minimalist preference with simple layout of the control knobs on the faceplate. I have the integrated amplifier with EI 12AX7 upgraded tubes. Vocals sound very detailed, crisp and the sound dynamics is excellent. I listen to a mix of music consisting of jazz and classical and this int. amp. delivers. The tube pre-amp provides excellent sound imaging and combined with the MOSFET power amplifier is able to deliver very good bass unlike other tube-only amps. which are a bit weak in the bass response. I use this int. amp to drive a pair of Dynaudio Audience 72SE and they are a very good match.
Price is very good considering what you get. Highly recommended. Strengths:
Gold plated binding posts.
Huge toroidal transformer.
Quality ALPS volume potentiometer
Clean faceplate design without much clutter.
Ability to swaps tubes to tune sound to whatever you prefer.
Vocals sound clean and crisp, imaging is fantastic and sound dynamics is great Weaknesses:
None at this price point. Similar Products Used:
Jolida, Kenwood, Marantz, Audible Illusions
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Rating
Reviewed by:
ECMJazz
(Audio Enthusiast)
Review Date
November 25, 2005Overall Rating
5 of 5
Value Rating
5 of 5
Used product for
Less than 1 month Visitors rate this review
3.67 of 5,
3.00 votes
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Review 5 of 42
Price Paid:
$590.00
from Underwood HiFi Summary:
The Joloda 1501RC is a high quality audiophile piece. Build is extremely fine, with a huge toroidal transformer, 1/4" thick aluminum front plate, nice wiring layout, pretty blue indicator lamps :), and excellent fit and finish. The amp weighs 33 lbs! The remote is cheap however, but the remote volume control actually turns the volume knob on the unit. Controls are very simple, a Stand-By button, Source buttons and an Alps Volume control. There are no Tone or Balance controls. Right out of the box, the sound is very smooth. Voices are real! You can get another 10% performance boost by replacing the stock tubes with better tubes (I really like Sovtek 12AX7LPS tubes). This puts the 1501 into a very high end catagory. My the 1501 drives 4 Ohm Magnaplane MMGs with superb results. The unit I ordered came with Pre-Amp Out (for a subwoofer) and a Fixed output for tape recording. It does not have the usual Tape loop (2 sets of Tape in-outs) which I don't need. I would describe the sound as very smooth and sweet with great imaging and detail. The tubed preamp drives a MOSFET power amplifier. Bass slam is strong and clean. You would have to pay a lot more than $600 to beat the performance and build of the Jolida 1501. Strengths:
The sound and build quality! The ability to fine tune the sound by changing tubes. Weaknesses:
No tape loop, cheap remote, No tone or balance controls (but it keeps additional circuitry out of the signal path). Similar Products Used:
Cheap Panasonic XR50 HT reciever which has an excellent digital amp.
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