I owned the 1501, which sounded fantastic with a set of NOS GE 5751 in the preamp section. The build was solid and the sound glorious. I wish I'd kept it. Instead I "upgraded" to a 1501RC from an official Jolida internet retailer. The 1501RC had a cheap-feeling build compared to the 1501 (especially its flimsy plastic volume knob) and sounded much worse--grainy and bright.
When I called the retailer to ask him about the change in sound I heard between amps and if I could expect the 1501RC's sound to settle down with break-in or tube rolling, he told me (a slight paraphrase here), "You can't expect an amp with a remote control to sound as good as an amp without one." This may be the most absurd thing a salesman has ever said to me. When in that case I asked about a return said that he did not offer any return policy. I'd already sold the 1501 I'd owned, so I also sold the 1501RC (at a loss) and went back to NAD.
This was a good 5 years ago, so it's possible that the 1501RC has improved since then and certainly possible that it could sound better with more break-in and better tubes--and that I could have had a better dealer back then!
When I called the retailer to ask him about the change in sound I heard between amps and if I could expect the 1501RC's sound to settle down with break-in or tube rolling, he told me (a slight paraphrase here), "You can't expect an amp with a remote control to sound as good as an amp without one." This may be the most absurd thing a salesman has ever said to me. When in that case I asked about a return said that he did not offer any return policy. I'd already sold the 1501 I'd owned, so I also sold the 1501RC (at a loss) and went back to NAD.
This was a good 5 years ago, so it's possible that the 1501RC has improved since then and certainly possible that it could sound better with more break-in and better tubes--and that I could have had a better dealer back then!