Jungson JA88D anyone?

A small cautionary note about the 88D. In the February 2005 issue of BFS, in which the 88D was listed as a "Component of Exceptional Merit," Marty stated that he had received complaints about damping material that turned viscous and smeared the inside of the unit. I also seem to recall reading posts to that effect not long ago, but could not locate them in either AA or AudiogoN.

The problem seems like a production flaw, not a design defect that affects the sound, so it should be relatively easy for the manufacturer to fix. Because this product is bought directly from the U.S. distributor, the purchaser should be able to get a straight answer about the situation before purchasing a new unit. If buying used, the seller should also be asked about the presence of this problem. Obviously from the favorable comments in this thread, not all units already in circulation have this problem.

Really great input.

(1) Korsun V8 and Jungson 88D are in the same price range and seem to be prime competitors. The V8 is a OEM for one of the Levinson amps that sells for around $7000. The feedback from your friend seems to parallel what others say about the 2 amps.

Korsun seems to be a high end integrated the follows the mold of classic SS. I think its rated like 250wpc. One thing that really impressed me about the Korsun was the use of dual 1000va transformers. The Jungson seems be more of a high end Hybrid amp, although it dosen't have any tubes. It is said to be sensitive to power cords and can be made to be super quick with the right cord.

(2)Exactly, Jungson may be known as the "Chinese Krell" but its sound from what others have reported is nothing like Krell. I hate to say negative things about a amp I haven't seen or heard myself. However there have been some posts on Audio Asylum by those who have looked in the KAV400 and haven't been real impressed by some of the parts.

(3) I remember reading something about a strange fluid found in one of the Jungson amps. I post on a private forum dedicated primarily to Jungson, but also includes other Chinese Audio. The "strange fluid" reports have been mentioned on the forum. But to my knowledge no one who posts there, has actually experienced this with their own amp.

Again you can contact Sekei if you have any questions about the fluid. They sell other brands. But Andy makes no bones about it he is basically a Jungson dealer.

BW Maxx

Well, I'm leaning towards the JA-50 over the 88Ds eventhough the monoblocks really are out of my budjet. I may have to go with a really good but cheap passive preamp for awhile. I'm looking into getting the Marantz SA-11 SACD player that has balanced outputs producing 5 volts! Should be plenty to drive a passive preamp and the high input impedence of the Jungsons. Anybody actually compared the 88D with the JA-50?

Drac why don't you email Fazoid. He has the JA-100 and I'm sure can probably tell you the differences between the JA-50 and JA-100. He also has the 99c. Which I am told is the same power amp section as the 88D.

Yep, if I had the bucks I would go with the JA-50 too.

BW Maxx

I just received a Jungson JA 88D this past Tuesday. I've owned several integrated amps, including Classe CAP-100, Jeff Rowland Concentra and Levinson, and have to say I am really impressed with the sound and build quality of this unit. Sonically it is probably the best blend of solid state and tubes that I have heard.