2. analog
  3. 1393875000

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

In my infinite quest of attaining gear that punches above it's weight class.... I landed a used JD9 to try it out and I'm frustrated. The AT120ET cart is too high of output to use the high outputs (even with 12au7 tubes). I ended up using the low outputs. While it still sounds good, I can't help but think that I'm not getting as much out of it with the cart i'm using. ...and I don't want to upgrade my cart.

I think I might go back to the Cambridge 651p or Musical Fidelity V90-LPS. Both sounded pretty good. I post here, so you guys can talk me out of it ... or suggest an alternative. On the plus side, I did score some 12ax7 mullards, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

I have a stock technics 1200 Mk2 that I'm quite happy with. Just need a preamp that matches nicely with the cart. I think there might be something in-between the $200 - $600 that might be a good match.

Conversely both the Cambridge and MF are pretty good. I'm not looking for a critical preamp. Thoughts?
128x128martinman

Showing 6 responses by martinman

martinman's avatar
martinman OP
91 posts
 
Yah, tried all of that. I was really angling to use the high outputs, but even with them all off, the signal is too hot. 12au7's didn't help either.

Using the low outputs is the only thing I can do with it.
martinman's avatar
martinman OP
91 posts
 
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.
martinman's avatar
martinman OP
91 posts
 
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?
martinman's avatar
martinman OP
91 posts
 
Hiho -

Thanks for your posts -- the schematic analysis really helps. I don't think I'll modify it though. I'd rather pay (at some point) and get a better cart that is more inline with the JD9 expectations. Or sell it now and get something in the future when I upgrade things. I have the MM switch on, and the other 2 off. When using the high output, I had them all off (still about 50db of gain!). The 12au7s helped, but still was overdriving things.

The Bugle2 is intriguing so I placed an order. Can't beat $139 for the kit. I've built tube amps before, so this should be a snap to put together. Looking forward to the comparison!
martinman's avatar
martinman OP
91 posts
 
Hi Everyone,

I took Jedinite24 and Gadfly's advice and bought a Bugle 2 Kit from Jim Hagerman.

http://www.hagtech.com/bugle2.html

I am absolutely blown away by it's performance. It's exactly what I was look for. We all love products where the price to performance ratio is maximized. You can't beat this at $139 kit / $189 assembled. The bugle 2 is far better than anything you can get at this price-point.

If you are handy at all, get the kit -- the directions are very very good.
martinman's avatar
martinman OP
91 posts
 
Hiho -

Yep, I hear you. I thought about it, but didn't want to mod it (even it wasn't permanent). I bought the jolida to get that warm tube sound. Bypassing it would have removed the primary deciding factor of me buying it to begin with. Well, that and I didn't want alot of $$$ tied up in a pre that I wasn't getting full use out of.

I really appreciate you help on this. I wish I could read schematics as good as you!! Would make my life alot easier!
More to discover