JOLIDA 302B Tube Int. Amp. Opinions?

I apologize. I neglected to mention the fact that you should also move a nice power cord. Nothing outrageous, but spending $100 to $200 for one found right here on Audiogon will be a perfect match. The upgrade to both tubes and power cords turns this amp into an absolute giant killer. You should also be driving efficient speakers. Otherwise the amp will fall on its face. Another reason the amp is cheap is that assembly is done in China.

I own a several Jolida's in (202, 302, 502) that I use in my various secondary systems. I agree with Trelja other than I prefer the Svetlana's but then I listen primarily to chamber music in my office using Linn Tukan speakers. I also insist that you must retube to get the amp to perform. The Chinese tubes are aweful. I personally purchase my tubes from Kevin at Upscale Audio and give hime high recommendations.

The 302/502 Series is also a great tinkerer's amp. The strongest feature of this integrated is its trannys, which are quite good at this price point. For tube amps, the output transformers will make or break it, and this unit has good ones. The basic circuit design is also solid, but Jolida did cut corners on such items as coupling caps, input jacks and wires and pots. If you're willing to take the effort, replacing the coupling caps, PS diodes, some front end resistors, the input jacks and wiring and the volume pot yields big improvements, particularly in resolution. Also, consider bypassing the balance pot and resoldering the output octal taps, as I've found them to have dirty joints. Lastly, consider disabling the power LED - noise source. There are some other PS mods you might consider, but other than some paralleled caps, you tend to have to go to a two chassis design (no room). This amp responds better than most from direct connection to wall current. This amp also does well in triode mode and is passable with feedback disabled, if so inclined. I don't know if you need to run NOS small signal tubes in this piece, but there are numerous common European 12AX and AT7s that will stomp the Chinese OEMs. Also, I've heard that 5751s will hum on this amp for some reason, so you're likely stuck with the AX7s.

I hughly recommend this amp. Just great sound and possibly the perfect transition SS to tube transition without breaking the bank. One of my Svetlana EL34s went "up in smoke" the other afternoon and I had to replace all four with the "stock" chinese tubes. YUCK! Can't wait for the ordered Svetlana replacements to arrive!

My opinion in a nutshell... GO FOR IT!

Rob

I highly recommend it as well. Sounds like you are only getting opinions from Jolida supporters. I got a 302a which I found as a demo here on AudioGon. I like the appearance better than the b.

It was my first foray into the integrated tube world and I am hooked!

If you look at this as a hobby it gives you an added dimension to play with. The tubes give you an element to expand on and change - renewing the sound if you will. Negatives that I had to overcome were not being able to 'monitor' the amp and thus record tapes. Not a big deal for most just a small glitch to get around with some splitters and such. Also there are only 4 inputs which meant I added a 'switcher' to bring in several A/V inputs like TV and VCR maybe a DVD in the future.

I concur with Rob - Go For it and please let us know what you decide and what your opinion is.

Keith