Down graded, with fantastic results

Bombaywalla - All I ment was I do not want to get into the analytical side of audio equipment, I just want to be happy with what I have and spend my $$ on music. BTW - what are your musical preferences? I enjoy jazz, (which really shines on my new gear), blues, old rock and roll and Cajun/zydeco (I play guitar in a zydeco band).

Hi Gretsch,

some tubes I liked on my Jolida 302b:

Powertubes: SED (Svetlana) EL43 or JJ E34L
I liked the SED a bit more than the JJ, smoother highs, a little softer bass, deeper soundstage. However, I had a couple of SED failing after very short time, with the JJ being very stable.

Preamp and driver tubes (my favorite combination)
12AX7 1970s Tesla E83CC Frame Grid gold pin
12AT7 1980s Mullard CV4024
Altnernatively the EH 12AX7 gold pin worked quite well also. Not as nice as the Tesla, but still good.

Preamp and driver tubes (alternative combination)
12AX7 1980s Jan GE 5751
12AT7 19??s BRIMAR 6060 T-Series Black Plates

Enjoy the Jolida! With the right speakers it is a great amp! And tube rolling is great for managing your upgrade urges...

Rene

Marco,
I must answer your post w/ some caution because there are aspects of which I agree with & yet disagree w/ some aspects as they apply to audio.

"My point was that you can sit around looking at all the "faults" of what you have in life, or what you have chosen, OR you can accept and enjoy what you have....."
yes, I agree w/ this strategy, in general. It does make life more enjoyable to live.

"Why would you want to point out what is 'half-empty' in someone elses glass, rather than help them celebrate the stuff that fills their glass?!?"
Well, now that I agreed to your 1st statement above, why would I not agree to this statement?
Isn't the whole point of being on an audio forum to improve oneself as audiophile in terms of improving one's ability to discriminate correct sound from just plain, old sound? If that's not the case, why aren't all of us buying Bose, JVC, Hitachi or some other mass-fi electronics & reveling in the fact that it sounds pretty darned good? You might come back & tell me that you KNOW that it doesn't sound that good? Well, how did you learn that? By somebody else helping you to celebrate your purchase of some mass-fi electronics?
When & if you do this, Marco, you are doing your fellow audiophile the biggest dis-favour! You are telling him/her that it's OK to be mediocre & to like 2nd-rate sound & to never uplift himself/herself to a higher plain to sonics.
I can bet that you have learnt a lot hanging out on Audiogon thru the collective experiences of the other members. I'm sure that has helped you grow as an audiophile. I can confirm this for myself - I have many members here to thank for my growth as an audiophile. If they hadn't kicked me when I made a mistake or concluded incorrectly, I would have still reveled in some mass-fi gear!
That was my point to Gretsch6120 in my orig post - the underlying message to him was to understand what the JoLida represents in terms of its sonics. How various design choices made by the manuf affect sound. And, if he ever wanted to get better sonics, what to look-out for in his next purchase.
I really think that being on an audio forum is to make us all better audiophiles who understand better what makes our gear tick + how to get better sound from what we buy + provide feedback to manuf so that they manuf gear that best reproduces correct sound 'cuz they know that the buyer knows what correct sound is. It's a symbiotic relationship & we all grow. To let someone revel in 2nd-rate sound is "dumbing" him.
Perhaps you do not agree w/ this line of reasoning? So be it! Then we agree to disagree. We can have diff viewpoints & still be cordial to each other. I'm very much OK w/ that, Marco.
=========================

Gretsch6120
"All I ment was I do not want to get into the analytical side of audio equipment,..."
Unfortunately, 2-ch audio (or any audio) is electronics. Choices made in how the electronics has a direct affect on your enjoyment or lack of. I feel that it's much better to understand what you have & enjoy it w/ better/complete knowledge of why the sound it is like it is rather than enjoying it in ignorance. Ignorance might be a bliss; but, ignorance IS ignorance.
Just because you delve into some of the analytical aspects does not mean that you cannot enjoy the music! Why are these 2 things mutually exclusive?
Remember, I NEVER said that you analyze the sound each time your system comes on! What I said was to understand why you get the sound that you get.
Ok, I think that I have said enough.

Music preferences - I like Jazz from the 1950-1990 era by the jazz greats. I also like classic rock, blues (acoustic & electric), some new age stuff, some flamenco.

Well stated Bombaywalla.

Bombaywalla - thanks for the clarification, and indeed we do agree to
disagree still. I take exception with the idea that there is any need
whatsoever to be able to distinguish such nuances by analyzing their
technical origin in detail, as you seem to be doing. I do believe a person who
enjoys music can make the call what works best for their ears and their
budget without such an education as you suggest. Just as one can enjoy a
fine wine without knowing what exactly it is that makes one taste better than
another. You do not need the vocabulary, nor the knowledge, IMO to make
such things enjoyable, and, in my experience, such knowledge more often
takes me away from the enjoyment itself. As far as "reveling in 2nd rate
sound" and "dumbing" our fellow enthusiasts, that's about
as far from my intentions as you could stretch. Again, I don't think the
knowledge you offer as a direct response to what was originally posted, nor
what followed, though it may be sound information (pun intended), goes
towards responding in the spirit the original post as it was made. I don't
think "Ignorance" as you've defined it, is necessarily a bad thing. I
no more need to understand the differences in the suspension systems in the
Honda and Mercedes in order to determine for myself which ride I prefer
under specific conditions, as I do to understand global feedback, harmonic
distortion, or how to read and understand bench testing of components in
order to appreciate the differences between one component and another.

To me it still ultimately strikes of someone saying publicly, "Hey, I
traded down my Mercedes for an Accord and I was really surprised that I get a
big kick out of this car and I'm enjoying driving in a whole new
way"....and to this your response would equate to me to be "Well,
you should understand that the Accord you chose is bested by several other
choices in the same price bracket! You could have bought any of the
others." In other words, I just don't get it. In that very same spirit, one
could go through all of the posts here on Audiogon where folks are actually
happy with what they have, and explain that there are better versions of what
they have for the same, or not much more, money. Then go on to explain in
great detail just why they are better. What's the point? Yes, you can say it's
in the guise of educating others, but really, what IS the point?! If someone is
actually asking that kind of question, yes I understand completely then, but
no such question was asked here.

Marco