Jolida JD-100A Tube Rolling


I recently added a JD-100A to my system and am wondering if any of your experiences were similar to mine. Out of the box this unit had about 15hrs on it, so it was basically new. I found the sound to warm, but very blurry in the details and imaging. Seeing all of the very positive posts about this unit, decided that I needed to allow more burn-in time for both me and the CDP and I'm very glad that I did. Even with the stock Jolida/WhateverTheStockTubesAre tubes, it really opened up to sound amazingly live with some of the detail coming back - Diana Krall "Only Trust Your Heart" became an amazing recording (recorded in live 2-track).

Deciding to start rolling tubes, I bought a pair of GE Triple Mica 5751's and immediately noticed a dramatic increase in detail - my wife woke up from a nap to comment on how much clearer the sounds were. I could hear Karen Carpenter's lip smacks on "A Song for You". But with this added detail, feel that a lot of the warmth of the stock tubes was gone.

I'd be very interested in any other experiences.

Thanks.

Russ

PS - Have a pair of Sylvania 12AX7A's in transit.
russtom
Sorry, for not posting earlier. I have been plowed under at work and home.

Russ, The Jolida was basically stock except for some damping sheets that Verastarr added. I added Cardas output jacks, slapped some Vibrapods underfoot, rolled a few tubes through (as noted above), and tried out a few powercords.

The output jacks had a minimal impact, maybe a smidge smoother.

The vibrapods seem to smooth out highs. I imagine they would have a more pronounced impact in other systems. You can see my less than optimal setup in my system photos. My CDP is on top of my DVD. I dont like this but it will have to do for now.

Powercords seem to have the greatest effect. This is the primary logic behind my previous statement about this unit improving with upgrades.

I too, am very interested in the Mods/upgrades. Although the basically stock unit performs well enough for now. As upgraditis hopefully moves my system upward, maybe its weaknesses will be manifest. At that time the CDP mods should be well ironed out.

Nealhood, thank you. Even though I am on the shallow end of the learning curve, I still want to share my experiences. I am really thankful for A'gon and its great community.

Truth be told, These LPS's sound pretty good. So they are going to stay in for a little while.

I know this may sound strange but, it seems that every time I unplug the CDP to change the tubes, it just doesnt sound "right" for a day or two. No matter what tube, even if I go back to ones I know I like.

I use Sylvania Gold Label triple mica blackplates, pricey and well worth it. Used the GE trips, too, but vastly prefer the Sylvanias. I also use a Chris VenHaus cryoed Flavor 1 power cord, which makes a wonderful improvement in the sound. Oh yeah, also use Hal-O tube dampers - I recommend getting rid of the stock covers.

Have fun tube rolling!
Thanks for the recommendations and comments about the GE trips. I was looking into dampers too. I feel like I'm going to break something one day taking those covers on and off for tube-rolling.
To remove a JD-100 tube cover, simply push down on it and twist off gently. Nothing to it.
Thanks. I just think that after doing this quite a few times I'll probably fatigue the area of the board around there. My bases are already a little looser on the PCB than when I first got the player - not a big deal, just trying to keep it like-new.