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Jolida Jd-100a w/ Stage 1 Sound Odyssey Anyone??

I think I decided finally on the Jolida JD100A. It seems to be the best bang for the buck that I can always upgrade. My question is.... for just a bit more I can get an upgrade through Sound Odyssey.

This is what you get with the Perfomance Stage 1 Package.

1. ~~ NEW Jolida JD-100A ~~

2. -- TRICHORD RESEARCH CLOCK 4 -- Replace Clock/Oscillator with Ultra High Performance Trichord Research Clock 4. The remarkable Clock 4 virtually eliminates jitter providing absolute timing down the digital chain. Eliminating these time-based errors gives the Jolida's on board DAC accurate data to convert to the analog signal. The results of a jitter-free digital signal are immediately apparent-
--> Huge gains are made in three dimensional imaging, and transparency.
--> Instruments gain detail and distinctive placement within a coherent soundscape.
--> Bass is highly defined and tight
--> Cymbals shimmer with sharp attack and delicate decay.

3. --DEDICATED POWER SUPPLY FOR THE CLOCK-- We install a dedicated power supply for the Trichord Clock 4. A dedicated Power Supply serves to isolate the digital and analog stages. This isolation reduces noise and thus reveals a wealth of low level detail that fills the missing elements for more realistic imaging and soundstaging. This is a monumental inclusion to this package!!

4. --ANALOG OUTPUT CAPACITORS-- We upgrade to Blackgate capacitors in the Analog Output Stage, allowing more detail to pass from the DAC. The Blackgates create Beautiful tonality and blacker background.

5. --POWER SUPPLY DIODES-- Replace the rectifying diodes in the power supply with the Fairchild "Stealth" Diodes. These are the fastest Soft Recovery diodes on the market. The stock diodes add to the noise floor and create a ringing and smearing of tonality. The upgraded rectifying diodes reveal increased resolution, an organic tonality and detail in the bass and lower mid-range.

6. –POWER SUPPLY CAPACITORS-- Upgrade four Capacitors in the Power supply to high performance Rubycon ZL capacitors. The Rubycon ZL caps are highly resolving and simply put- The Best!. The power supply is Critical! Our Power supply treatment has an enormous impact in every function that follows. Results--> RESOLUTION,RESOLUTION, RESOLUTION!

7. -–THE TUBES-- Upgrade the Chinese tubes to Electro-Harmonix 12AX7EH. The Electro-Harmonix has a marvelous balanced sound, high gain, & low noise. This is a very good, if not the best 12AX7 made today. Excellent tube!

8. -–VIBRATION DAMPING-- (a) Apply Vibration absorbing Sorbothane around the transport for highly effective damping of mechanical vibrations. (b) Then we apply Sound Coat damping material throughout the Chassis and under the Cover. Results? Absolutely!!! The combination of these two damping materials yields much improved image depth & focus, with tonality that is clear and pure.

Anyone hear these upgrades? Is it worth it? Thanks!
rkerv
readster
241 posts
 
Man, if you believe all that they say about their upgrades, and how much they improve the unit, it must be a pretty crappy unit to begin with !! (i'm being sarcastic, i happen to know that this is a very good unit in stock form, replacing the tubes with the EH tubes, and a aftermarket power cord, would make the most sonic improvement imo.
scubadaddy123
13 posts
 
Chris Johnson (former President of Sonic Frontiers) offers two different upgrades for the Jolida JD-100 (a level 1 & a level 2). The level one will provide about 85% of the sonic improvements offered by the level 2. I saw the upgrades from Sound Odyssey, yet I do not agree that the clock needs to be replaced (or that it will offer lower jitter when it won't). Compare the modifications steps of the Sound Odyssey modification with those from Chris Johnson (Parts Connection) and then idendify which provides a better value for you.

I have the level one modified JD-100 now and it's not about to leave my system anytime soon. that should be all you need to know. I'm not saying the level 2 mod is not worth the investment, just not worth it to me consideing how wonderful the level one sounds. Unless you have over 20k in your system, I don't think you will hear much of a differece between the level 1 & level 2 mod (but again, that's just my opinion). In the end, you must decide for yourself which unit to purchase.

All I can tell you is that you should contact Walter Liederman (Underwoodwally) on AudiogoN and talk with him about these modification. Walter is a Jolida dealer and will not be undersold, especially on a modified unit. I've known Waler for many years now, and he has proven to me on MORE than one occassion that he would rather sell what is the best for me rather than something more expensive that will make him more money....again, integrity and knowledge to me are the two MOST important characteristics I look for when purshasing high end audio equipment these days. Wlater has been in the business for well over 20 years and I know for a fact that this man KNOWS the audio industry and the competetion. He worked hand in hand with Chris Johnson developing the above identified modifications.

In conclusion, I love my JD-100 w/the level one mod. I replaced the 12AX7 tubes that were apart of the level one upgrade with gold plated Telefunken 12AX7s and the match is incredible (mids to die for). I listen mostly to female vocals and jazz where the mids are everything....

Good luck with your choices...

Steven
dougmc
105 posts
 
Some observations going different ways on your question:

In favor of the Sound Odyssey mods

1. I have dealt with Brice Donnelly and, in addition to being courteous and helpful, he is a stand-up guy. He encouraged me to buy a Music Hall CD-25 for sale here on the ‘gon that he had previously modified, knowing it would cost him a sale to me of a substantially similar unit (I bought the used unit).

2. The MSRP of the stock Jolida 100A is $900. The Odyssey Stage 1 upgrade is $1095. For slightly less than $200, you get a lot, particularly the clock and power supply. True, you may find the stock unit for less than $900 from discount sellers, but the upgrade still represents a bargain in terms of the labor and parts cost. Sound Odyssey also includes shipping in its price. I don't have the technical knowledge or listening experience to comment on Steven's opinion that the clock is not that significant.

Neutral

3. I bought my CD-25 modified, so I never heard the stock unit. Therefore, I can’t comment on the improvement made by the mods. The modified CD-25 is clearly better than the mid-fi, 5 year-old DVD player I had been using as a player, but the units are too different to draw any conclusions about the benefits of the modifications. (I would like to compare my CD-25 to a stock unit and to other CD players in its price range to get a better idea of its absolute quality and its relative value.)

4. As Readster suggests, the improvements aren’t likely to be as dramatic as the Sound Odyssey ad suggests. Like a lot of modifiers’ ads, the copy has a breathless quality and slightly over-the-top claims.

Against mods (in general)

5. A number of posters here on AudiogoN have suggested that modifying the Jolida changes, rather than enhances, the qualities that make it an attractive unit to begin with. I suggest you track down these comments and e-mail the posters for more information.

6. The people who argue against the mods say that simple tube-rolling is less expensive and doesn’t permanently change the unit. Don’t like the new tubes? Try different tubes or go back to the stock tubes.
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