Joule - Electra: Just How Hot??

I had VZN-100 in musicwood and they looked quite nice. They do give off quite a bit of heat though. It was never too oppressive, but it can get a sealed room quite warm in about an hour or so.

My main issue was with technical problems. A strong hum that would not go away (and that the manufacturer was never able to fix even when I sent them back), a fuse that blew twice, and a variac that started burning (that also had to be sent back).

Lovely sound when they worked right, but I moved on after putting up with those kinds of challenges.

Maybe it was just a phase in Joule's production / manufacturing line.

My issues were with new OTLs being built in 2005 / 2006, and I was surprised to find (through private correspondence) two other gentlemen that were also having problems with their OTLs from this era and one of the guys was also having issues with his Joule phono stage.

Believe me, I went to the ends of the earth to try and resolve the issues in an amicable manner with Joule-Electra. I also made sure to have multiple members of the Bay Area Audiophile Society come over and listen to the OTLs on multiple speakers, in multiple rooms, and on various dedicated circuits in order to validate that it was not just one disgruntled buyer.

I had never heard of any issues before I bought the amps, so maybe my issues and the guys I was corresponding with represent a moment in time for the company, rather than the general experience everybody has had year after year. About a year after I sold my amps a European Joule customer emailed me asking about problems. He was having the same kind of challenges that he had seen me write about and wanted to know if I had advice.

I wished him the best, but told him that I had moved on. Again, lovely sound when they worked properly, but at that price point I needed a more reliable experience.

I wouldnt say that I hated owning Joule amps, but I would say that I would love to own an HD knucklehead, oil leaks, suicide shift, and all. :)

Tubes108, I hope you are not implying from your post that the hum that I had with my Joule amps was a ground loop that was caused by the multiple systems and multiple residences that I inserted them into.

I have had ground loops in the past and I know how to fix them. My experience with my Joule amps was not a ground loop.

I'm glad you had great experiences with Joule-Electra. I, on the other hand, did not have a great experience. As much as an informed buyer / reader should value your opinion in this thread, I hope they also value mine.

Michael,

All fair comments I suppose.

Fuses blowing are something totally normal. A burning variac is not normal, but I think it is something that would not have broken my spirit with the gear.

In regards to "ground loop" / hum that I am inferring you and Tubes108 are placing on me (and if my inference is incorrect, then I do apologize), I do disagree with that.

A few steps that I took to disprove the ground loop was my issue:

1. Over the course of 18 months of ownership I placed the amps on 5 different dedicated circuits across two residences.

2. Each time, the amps were either fed a signal from an LA-150 pre-amp, or they were shorted using the appropriate switch on the back to not receive a signal. I even went to extreme ends during a number of late evenings to turning off all other circuits of the house during very late hours in order to make sure that the circuit was not being contaminated at the breaker box. BTW, I did this at both residences that I resided in during that time.

3. There were over 6 source components tried in the system during this 18+ months period. At various points I had everything on one circuit (the Naim approach), and at various times I explored placing components on separate circuits.

4. True to form, the hum could be lessened by putting the amps on less sensitive speaker. It could also be neatly masked by holding down one of the bias buttons. However standing over a warm monoblock with your finger on a small button was not a scalable solution so whenever I listened to folk music or chamber music (that had many quiet points), I would jam a toothpick in the tiny space between the chassis top and one of the bias buttons so the bias button was held down. This was a trick that I learned from one of the other gentleman that I was corresponding with that bought amps from the same era.

My point in all this is to explain that I worked very hard, was very patient, and also very forgiving in trying to get very expensive amps to work the way that they should. In fact, I am the first to admit that my experience was not the norm. However, the experience was shared by other audiophiles, so my challenges were not unique.

So to the other Joule owners out there that are very happy, I say that I wish your experience was the kind that I had. To the prospective Joule buyer, I say that my experience was not a good one, but I hope that you enjoy your amps should you choose to purchase them.