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Jolida JD100 Missing Bass

A little history, I was in the process of buying my father a 2 channel system. All my life he was very proud of his first hi fi system. Sansui receiver, Sansui Turntable, Acoustic Research AR3's. It has been gone for 25 years or more. I spent the better portion of this year buying a set of Usher V-604's, B&K Pro10-MC preamplifier, and a matching 2 channel amplifier. The next thing on the list was an entry level Denon Turntable. Unfortunately in October he got sick and was diagnosed with AML (Leukemia) on a Friday, and died the following Thursday. It was very sudden to say the least. I also never got to give him his Christmas present, so I am left with an aching desire to play with all of his old LP's.
This last Saturday I went to a local store and picked up a Denon DP-300F turntable. Right now I am using the cartridge it came with. I also wanted to see what all this vinyl chit chat was about. I only have one album that I own on both CD and on Vinyl. I decided to do my own quick A/B comparison between my Jolida JD100A and this Denon Turntable. I instantly noticed the treble on the turntable was very soft compared to the CD, but this might be a little to do with the way CD's are mastered, but I definitely see the need for a better cartridge. I am thinking about buying the Denon DL-160 for starters.
The next thing that I noticed was all the bass I get from the turntable. It was a bit shocking that I was missing that much from my CD Player. Since I have had this CD player I had gone out and bought a subwoofer to go with my Usher X-719 Monitors (which are known for their bottom end. Now, for the first time since I got this CD player, I turned the sub off. I didn't feel like I needed it anymore. I have read that the Jolida CD Player Mods can improve the bass a lot.

What's your opinion of Affordable Audio, Hot Rod, Underwood HiFi, and any others that do mods for these. Can you reccomend one of these from experience?

Will I see an improvement worth paying for?

Should I sell this CD Player and buy a Solid State Player?

Is their something else wrong with my CD Player (I think this is unlikely because it sounds so good otherwise)?

What do you think?
jdfelice
19 responses Add your response
rotarius
431 posts
 
You just can't reach this conclusion based on one comparison. What album are you talking about? There are thousands of digital remasters out there that just sound terrible, thin, bright, harsh, etc. Chances are you will have the same issue when you try another cdp. Btw, have you tried swapping the tubes in the jolida?
merganser
216 posts
 
"Btw, have you tried swapping the tubes in the jolida?"

Bingo!
glory's avatar
glory
1,614 posts
 
Sylvania 5751 Gold Brand 3-Mica is the tube for that CDP.

You will never get your investment back from the mod when you go to sell the CDP.

I had the player and it is a good CDP with the Sylvania tubes in it. There is your mod and you can resell the tubes and get most of your money back.

Sorry about your dad. Life can be hard and short for some but I am sure he would be glad that you have picked up his passion for music and audio gear.

If you must have the mod, which mine had, then sell your CDP and buy one used with the mod. Let someone else eat the cost of the mod.
jdfelice OP
26 posts
 
Thanks, I have not tried changing tubes. Where should I shop for them? What price should I be paying for the Sylvania tubes?

The album was Radio Head "Pablo Honey". It's not that old, so I don't think their would be any remastered versions, unless the LP was a remaster. Also, it is the only album I have on Vinyl and CD.

I take it then, in your opinions then that the mod is not enough improvement to spend the money.

I will look for tubes.
jig
160 posts
 
Based on your description of the sound, I would think the turntable arm needs to be raised up. This should lessen the bass and bring up the highs. Secondly, I would suggest you borrow a cd player and compare. Even a DVD player would work in a pinch. While a new set of tubes will change the sound somewhat, it will not magically transform it into a bass pounding unit; subtle at best.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
samzx12
1,220 posts
 
I used the GE triple mica black plates in my Jolida with good results.
coffeey's avatar
coffeey
363 posts
 
bass and cd players are very ,very dependent on the recording,sure a player has to be able to reproduce it but that said,so many cd's are completely different sounding in the bass,some recordings just pump it out others its just softer or just not in your face.Find some recordings that do pump out the bass so you kind of something to go by and compare some more.I think a lot just has to do with the recording the first place not so much the cd player.
jdfelice OP
26 posts
 
Thank you Jig, when you say raise the tonearm. Do you mean lessen the force/weight on the stylus?
glory's avatar
glory
1,614 posts
 
Brent Jessee Recording should find you the Sylvanis 5751 tubes.
zenblaster
504 posts
 
A lot of times cartridge alignment and other analog front end issues can emphisize bass playback, even to the point of subs rumbling or pumping. Some analog systems require the sub to be turned off during playback. Does the digital truly sound lean or is it just in comparison to the turn table?
jdfelice OP
26 posts
 
Zenblaster, It really does sound lean. When I first bought my Ushers I instantly notice the nice bass. I was very pleased and never felt the need for a sub. I then bought my Jolida. Prior to that it was a cheap sony CD changer that was about 15 years old. At the same time I gave away the Sony so I can't go back and compare to it. I didn't realize the missing bass at first because of all the new things the Jolida brought. Over time I noticed the bass was lacking and thought I had just grown used to the Usher's and realized they didn't have that much bass. Then I bought a sub. Since then I have been happy, but then I bought the Turntable and realized it wasn't the Ushers. I don't feel like it was a result of the recording, because I did not own this CD when I felt the need to buy the sub. I felt the need after many months of wanting more bass on almost all recordings. Like I said, I thought I had grown used to the Ushers or something. Now that I have the turntable, the bass in my Ushers has returned.
abucktwoeighty's avatar
abucktwoeighty
1,079 posts
 
I use Svetlana tubes in my Jolida. I bought one with mods, and the tubes came with it. I tried some old Telefunkens and found I liked the Svetlanas better. What really increased the bass in my system was a Virtual Dynamics Power 3 power cord. It increased the bottom end so much I had to remove it from the system. Try one out. They come up every so often in the classifieds for less than $100.

The bottom end is very comparable from both the Jolida and my turntable. The analog just presents the music much better than the digital.
rotarius
431 posts
 
You probably picked the worst album to make any comparison. Radiohead cds I have heard are horribly compressed and thin/bright sounding. Your ears will bleed regardless of the cdp you end up with. Good luck.
jdfelice OP
26 posts
 
Thanks for all of your responses. For anyone interested, I bought a couple of cheap RCA 5751 tubes, and it has improved from the very second I turned it on. I'm hoping that the tubes break in a little and get even better, but the difference was very pleasing. I don't feel the need to mess with it right now. I'm just going to enjoy for a while.
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samzx12
1,220 posts
 
I tried the RCA black plates with good results. Much better than the stock tubes. Consider some GE triple mica black plates if you want to experiment. I found them to be more lush or organic. The RCA's were a tad drier but I could have lived with them. Have fun :)
seekburk
126 posts
 
Radiohead's albums are not bright sounding at all to my ears. I think quite the opposite actually. Tons of nice bass on radiohead albums and i'm a bass player who enjoys to hear the bass when i listen to music.
jay_w
7 posts
 
I know this post is a likely too late to help Jdfelice, but I couldn't help but notice that the question of raising the tonearm to adjust the base was not answered. It may be helpful to others to know what jig was referring to when he said raise the tonearm.
Jig was referring to the VTA or the vertical adjustment to the angle of the turntable tonearm. It is made by raising or lowering the hight of the tonearm at it's base. Most good arms have a way to make this adjustment so check your manual. VTA makes a huge difference. However, much of the adjustment is subjective. Starting with the arm level, you need to adjust till it sounds correct to your ears.
If you Google "tonearm VTA" or do a search right here on AudiogoN you will find plenty of articles on the subject.
So much for my two cents.
vandermeulen
191 posts
 
Pablo Honey is NOTORIOUS for crappy bass. Not engineered well. I have the CD and LP and have EXACLY the same impressions. I also have the same Jolida CDP. Though, my analogue rig is 20K plus in price...I have the same phenomenon occuring as YOU! Change tubes...I have been wanting to but just have never had the time yet. BUT, I enjoy the results as is from both systems.
vandermeulen
191 posts
 
Also, I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your father. Sometimes I think that we really grow as "adults" when we ultimately experience the death of our parents. I think death is a must in order to appreciate what we have/had in our lives. Sometimes the experience comes too quick for some, to horrific for others. Being alive on this planet as a human being is a priviledge that comes with MANY stings attached. My best to your family.
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