i would look at the prima luna's and the jolida's. i have a couple of the jolida hybrids for my den and family room and i like them very much. i have the usher x-719 teamed up with the jolida 1701 and the jolida 1301 with totem in-walls. i have replaced the original tubes with better tubes and use a quality power cable for the 1701.
Tube integrated amp recommendations?
Hi, I'm just getting into this hobby, and like a lot of people I'm starting out with a limited budget. In short, I don't know what I'm doing, so I'm hoping you can give me some guidance. Here's my experience so far. I've heard a bunch of solid state amps (Rega Brio, Arcam A18), a hybrid (Jolida 1501), and a full tube amp (Jolida 302 modified)...I liked the all tube Jolida 302 by far! The hybrid had no high end to speak of, and the others had no soundstage.
I guess I should say that my goal is to have great soundstage because I want to feel like I'm hearing the band right there.
As for speakers, I tested everything on Quad 22L but they were too bassy for me. I was originally decided on getting the Focal JM Labs 807v for their accurate high end and instrument separation, which gave that feeling of being right there in the show, but since they lack midrange...I was won over by Dynaudio's. The excite line as a starter...x12 or x16.
So my questions are these: I can't seem to find a Jolida 302 for under $900 unmodified, so that would be like $1200 modified after I'm done. My alternative is spending $600 on a Cambridge Audio Azur 550 (recommended for the dyn's), which I don't want to do because it doesn't give me that great soundstage. Is there a comparable tube amp I can get for $700-$800?
Also, do you think the tubes would work well with an already warm speaker like the dynaudio? (btw, i live in los angeles, and think i've traveled to every audio specialist in the city to audition...most of whom carry b&w and paradigm which i don't especially like. i don't know if there's anything else available for me to try at this point.)
Thanks for listening, and I appreciate your help.
Jeremy
I guess I should say that my goal is to have great soundstage because I want to feel like I'm hearing the band right there.
As for speakers, I tested everything on Quad 22L but they were too bassy for me. I was originally decided on getting the Focal JM Labs 807v for their accurate high end and instrument separation, which gave that feeling of being right there in the show, but since they lack midrange...I was won over by Dynaudio's. The excite line as a starter...x12 or x16.
So my questions are these: I can't seem to find a Jolida 302 for under $900 unmodified, so that would be like $1200 modified after I'm done. My alternative is spending $600 on a Cambridge Audio Azur 550 (recommended for the dyn's), which I don't want to do because it doesn't give me that great soundstage. Is there a comparable tube amp I can get for $700-$800?
Also, do you think the tubes would work well with an already warm speaker like the dynaudio? (btw, i live in los angeles, and think i've traveled to every audio specialist in the city to audition...most of whom carry b&w and paradigm which i don't especially like. i don't know if there's anything else available for me to try at this point.)
Thanks for listening, and I appreciate your help.
Jeremy
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- 13 posts total
- 13 posts total