marcus001

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $850.00 from online

Summary:
This is a review for the Jolida 502b integrated amp; 2 weeks of break in and I'm completely blown away.

I have gone through 2 Carver and 2 Yamaha solid state amps and I'm happy to say that I finally found the detail, imaging and immersive experience I was looking for inside a glass tube.

I read that tubes were more musical, more fluid, more lifelike..but until you spend some time with one in your space, with your music you don't really get it. I am now a believer and I doubt I'll ever go back to solid state.

This amp presents music with depth, texture, and presence that makes the best $1200 soliid state amp I've heard sound flat and 2 dimensional. I've now abandoned the "accuracy" sentiment--accurate and lifeless has no place in my living room.

Its possible that a VERY expensive solid state amp could give you this kind of detail, but why would you bother spending the extra money. This is admittedly an entry level amp but at 60W per channel it pushes my 86db sensitivity strata mini's very very well. Huge and deep soundstage, amazing layering of highly produced music and sweet presentation of analog recordings. Dynamic, realistic, and captivating. It is in a completely different league than any solid state I've heard .

This is one great amp!

EH 6550s
Westinghouse (german) 12AT7
Sovtek 12Ax7wb

Strengths:
Harmonic detail nuance in acoustic instruments
Soundstage depth
resolution of space and instument placement
lifelike mids--especially human voice

Weaknesses:
Bass could be a bit more thunderous...but this is NOT a legitimate weakness only a relative one in light of the incredible strengths

Similar Products Used:
Carver TFM series
Yamaha rxv-740, 1200

aroostookme

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
1 to 3 months

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I recently impulse bought a Jolida 502B, I placed an eBay bid that was so low it was silly and no one else bid.

I had a great ST-70 and PAS Dynaco set-up and decided not to take vintage equipment into retirement with me and looked for something newer. Several things I have found about this amp that are commendable.

First, it is beautiful to look at in a lit room or in the dark. Well made. Back-breaking heavy.

Sonically it walks all over the Dyna outfit. It perfectly handles Quad ESL-57's. But the reason I am writing is for any Proac 2s owner. If you have Proacs then I have a most pleasant surprise to share.

The Jolida 502B with a Rega Planet 2000 and Kimber KCAG interconnects. Connect the Jolida to the Proacs with Nordost Solar Wind cables. Let the wild rumpus begin.

It is like some made-for-TV chick movie where the guy and the girl find deep and perfect love at first glance. These things were meant for one another. And the outfit, except the Proacs, is all within entry level hifi reach.

I won't review the speakers, just the difference. The soundstage is much wider and deeper. Lows are even more amazing and the Proacs do lows amazingly anyway. But the mid and high registers gain significantly from this match-up. I mean like "I am not moving these, unhooking these, or ever leaving the room" kind of sound.

Give it a try if you own Proacs.

Wow.

Strengths:
Solid, no-nonsense amp and sound. Match well with Brit sound speakers.

Weaknesses:
Really heavy and you can throw your back out getting this one into an audio stand.

Similar Products Used:
Dynaco Stereo 70, Dynaco MK!!, Dynaco PAS.

shadyave

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
More than 1 year

Visitors rate this review
3.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1200.00 from United Home Products

Summary:
I have had the Jolida 502b for about 18 months. It has been wonderful, fulfilling my expectations in regard to switching to tubes. The sound is warmer and more musica than my previous amp. The the mid-range is especially good. I have found it to be a good match with my older speakers as the power is adequate to run these less efficient speakers.

I am fortunate to live near the Jolida business which is in the same building as United Home Products. I was able to have my 502b modified slightly at the factory, to include a tape out - which has allowed me to burn cds from my favorite LPs. It was also convenient to be near the factory, when I had one small problem related to a loose input selector switch. The folks at Jolida switched it out on the spot at no cost.

The additional entertainment that come with a tube amp is seeing if one can improve the sound by substituting the tubes. My 502b came with EH KT88 power tubes which I would highly recommend and have not changed. After some reading and experimenting, I have replaced both sets of pre-amp tubes (5965 for the 12AT7, and 6681 for the 12AX7). These tubes have a bit less gain. The result was a clear improvement in the sound, most notably widening the soundstage. I would note also that biasing the 502b is very easy using a simple system of turning screws until a LED light comes on. No other equipment is required beyond a screwdriver.

I have had a great time with this amp which has been in daily use since I purchased it. The build quality is very good, and other than the minor problem with the switch, it has worked flawlessly. I don't think one can do better at this price in a tube amp.

Strengths:
Very musical, particularly great mid-range
Build quality is good.
Easy to bias the tubes.

Weaknesses:
Mine does not have a remote (but Jolida now has one with a remote)

Similar Products Used:
First tube amp. Other amp is NAD C320BEE

Rockinghorse

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Value Rating
 5 of 5

Used product for
Less than 1 month

Visitors rate this review
1.00 of 5, 1.00 votes

Price Paid:  $1022.00 from The New Tube

Summary:
The amp makes you forget about your speakers. It totally lacks boxiness, and that accounts for the sense of reserve power one gets with it in spite of it's modest output power. It uncannily reveals the emotional essence of popular songs, so that one gets a sense of the raw emotions driving the music. I have never experienced that with any system i owned before playing with this amp. And that is coming from my honest impression. I have no axe to grind. It is especially good on vocals, piano, and woodwinds, and if I had to say what kind of music it's best suited for, I would say jazz and classical. That, however, is NOT the music I listen to: it acquits itself quite nicely with the hard and soft mostly alternative rock I favor, without any hint of stress or strain.The bass is quick and goes deep when necessary. I have yet to hear it clip. I am using it with the Epos ES11's, which also favor the midranges. Someone might think this would lead to a darker, constrained sound. I find it a wonderful pairing, and am completely enraptured by how it reveals music. If you are considering an amp, and don't have a lot of green, this one should be near the top of your list.

Strengths:
Wide, deep soundstage, that floats in front and behind the speaker enclosures. Silky smooth midrange reveals the emotional intensity of singers. Ability to track bass lines accurately and fully without boominess.
Built like a russian tank. Heats up my room nicely this time of year!

Weaknesses:
Why it has a balance control, I can't figure out.. I mean, how many folks need THAT?

Similar Products Used:
Marantz 2325

Price Paid:  $1000.00 from Angola - Reseller

Summary:
A friend of mine and my brother, two truly audiophiles have bought a Primaluna Prologue one and two respectively and a pair of Sonus Faber Cremona loudspeakers. I was invited to a listening session at our friend's home. We started with some fusion while the tubes were warming up and finished with jazz CD and Super Audio (Miles, Oscar Peterson, Ray Brown, Cassandra Wilson, etc). The session was fantastic.
Impressed with the experience, I was searching around the city of Luanda - Angola something similar to their "Primadonna". I found the Jolida 502B and a pair of TDL Cheviot speakers. Totalizing $1700!!! for both equip. I am using "Guerrilla Silver Single Ended Speaker cable" Cheaper than my friend's one.
I retributed their invitation and we have started as we did at my friends house few days before.
The session at my house was something unimaginable. Magic, fantastic, amazing!
The sense that everyone had in that room is similar to if an African Team defeated Brazil in the final of the World Cup Championship.

Strengths:
The Sound and Power are amazingly fantastic comparing to some more expensive equipment.
If you are not an affordable audiophile this is the burgain of your life!

Weaknesses:
Too cheap for the quality.

Similar Products Used:
Primaluna Prologue one and two