Differences in Jolida JD-100's?

Ketchup,

The Sovteks are weak in the midrange, which is a trait of this tube in any application. The EH tubes retained the top and bottom extension while filling out the midrange nicely. I am a stickler for the human voice, if it ain't right, I don't want it.

I am using a Sonoran Desert Plateau PC plugged into a Blue Circle MR 1200.

Oz

Changing the tubes in the JD-100 changes the tilt and the tonality just a bit but, it does not change the basic character of it's sound. Which, is very good in that it is fluid, full(slightly bloated) and musical. However, the soundstaging lacks the definition and placement of top line dacs such as the relatively new Musical Fidelity Trivista 21 driven by a cheap Pioneer DVD player as a transport. This I have compared at length so I am confident in my remarks.

ozzy,
what did you use to dampen the chassis? dynamat or something similar?

what did it change about the player?
i'de like to try it, but i first would like to know exactly what to expect.

thanks!

What would you say was the biggest difference between the Sovtek's and the EH's?

The Sovtek's seem to have pretty decent treble extension, they create great well articulated bass, and the mid range is pretty fluid.

I'm just curious what the sonic difference you noted was so I can see if it's a type of change I'd be interested in for my system before I buy another set of tubes :)

Cheers!
-Nathan

You should get a pair of the Electro Harmonix 12AX7s. My Jolida had Sovteks in it too, but the EH tubes brought it around in a big way. And dampening the chasis is a good idea too.

Oz

Hey thanks for all the info guys! :)

I love the player, haven't had a chance to do any tube rolling. I was planning on doing some comparisons between the Sovtek LPS tubes and the stock tubes, but since for whatever reason my player didn't have the typical stock tubes I am just sorta stuck with only knowing one sound :)

I'll look into some 5751's, they tend to be pretty pricey if I recall. Between this player, my ONIX Ref 3's, ONIX A-120 MkII, and CinePro line conditioner I'm a bit low on funds, and the Sovtek's seemed to have the concensus as being the best tube sound for the money with this player, or at least in the threads I came across.

I'm really loving this thing though. It's very revealing, but I never find myself whincing in pain while listening to even my most horribly mastered albums, and the bass is very clean and tight, which I didn't expect coming from a tube component.

Cheers!
-Nathan

I'm not sure about the Jolidas, but other Chinese built manufactures also use an "A" and "C" designation along with some that have no letter designation. My deductive reasoning has brought me to the conclusion that "A" means for the American Market and "C" means for the Chinese market.

For an example, take a look at some of the Shanlings. The cheap "grey market" units often have a "C" designation after the model number.

I don't have any proof concerning my findings, just a reasonable suspicion. Personally, based on my hunch, I would not want a "C" model as it might not have warranty here and might have some different components.

Just my (possibly wrong) $.02 worth!!!!

Enjoy,

TIC

i also called jolida about the model number issue. They told me that there's only one jd100. he said he thought people started tacking the "A" on the end because a lot of their other products' model numbers end in letters. someone at jolida is probably responsible for the mix up, though, because my box has jd-100a written on it.

i havn't heard of the jd-100c yet!

Mike at Jolida told me that there are no differences. Why the different model #'s, no one seems to know.

Did you get the Parts Connection mod? It is worth it. The general conscensious among avid promoters of this CD player agree that the 5751 tubes really deliver the magic for this player. I have a set in mine and love them, and need to pick up another set cause they are getting harder and harder to find if they are from the 50's and 60's. Search the discussion forums here for this player, there is quite a bit of discussion about it.

Enjoy!

R.