Jolida JD9: I think I over-bought. Alternatives?

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

So regarding the high outputs. I read through many forum threads AG, AK, etc and the overall consensus is that high outputs sound better. So, out of curiosity, I'm trying to get there with what I have. I had 12au7's which is 80% lower gain than a 12ax7 for about a week while using the high outputs. I was just on the edge of overdriving the signal - about half of my records would distort (just slightly). Anyway, things sounded better.

I'm not saying the low outputs are bad. It's more of a recognition that I'm not getting as much out of the JD9 with my setup. I was expecting to hear a big difference from some of the $200 solid state units that I demoed. It's just not that big of a difference.

Going a little further with the "high outputs sound better" theory

My impression is that the high outputs provide more sensitivity which = more detail. I have the older JD9 with trim pots on the low output. This basically allows me to attenuate the signal -- the high outputs don't have this in the signal path. So, my goal is an un-attenuated signal.

I don't know much about pre-amps in general... My suspicion is that there is some attenuation happening?

I just looked up the circuit of the JD9. It appears to be a solid state phono stage connected to a tube line stage packaged as one phono preamp. If the solid state phono stage has enough gain already then a 12AX7 in SRPP line stage will have way too much gain. And if you switch to 12AU7, which is a better tube for line signal, and still have too much gain then the whole tube line stage is redundant. It's really a solid stage device trying to use tube to "flavor" the sound and there's nothing wrong with that but they should wire the tube as a cathode follower, which has no gain. In full signal it can reach 80dB of gain! That's one hot preamp!

If you are handy with a soldering iron, you can bypass the line stage entirely and get a purer signal but you will lose the tube flavor. The difference between the high and low output is just a resistor voltage divider at the output, one resistor in series and one resistor to ground, essentially a fixed volume control. Changing the value of the resistors will provide you different gain but will change the output impedance. I don't understand why they didn't just add a volume control in front of the tube stage is beyond me. Or you can just change one input resistor and it will get to where you want. Look at the schematic and change resistor R01 to, say, 220k, and you will get half of the gain. Just try till you get the gain right for your system. Or simply add a pot in there. Add another input and a selector and, voila, then you have a full function preamp! One with solid state phono stage and a tube line stage.

Good luck.

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Ditto some 5751 tubes and keep playing with the switches on the back.

It is a very good phono amp.

03-05-14: Dsper: "Ditto some 5751 tubes and keep playing with the switches on the back."

The three dip switches allow 3 gain settings. If he already switched it to "MM" setting and that's the lowest gain he could get. He needs further reduction of gain.

Schematic:

Line Stage

Phono Stage

DIP Switches

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