Jolida 302B

[92135011]

Harlo everyone,
You guys think this integrated is a good buy? or is there something else that is worth more for its money. I think this amp is listed as about 900 retail.

[RGA]

Actually yes. If you want a SAFER purchase you may want to try the Antique Sound Labs AQ1003DT. It also uses the popular EL 34 but has a built in bias meter, Subwoofer output a Remote control is built better and has a 5 year warranty instead of the 1 year that Jolida offers. It has a 4ohm tap as well.

It is more expensive than the Jolida but I think you might be happier. The Sub out is pretty importantin my view and remote is frankly nice. http://www.divertech.com/aq1003dt.html

I also believe you can get this in several colour options Last years model doesn't have the remote or sub out so you may get them discounted.

The older model is $849.00 available from Adire Audio http://www.adireaudio.com/home_audio...s/AQ1003DT.htm

[happy ears]

Well I will second what RGA says above. Although I have not heard either product and Jolida's tend to like nice I also read that they require upgrades to sound there best. For the extra money the features that Antique Sound Labs with the extra warranty would seam to be worth it. Listening for yourself is always the best.

[92135011]

whats the difference between the new and old versions of the ASL besides what you mentioned? sound?
where would i be able to try this in Vancouver, BC?

[RGA]

I live in Nanaimo. If you can swing a trip to Victoria Soundhounds on Pandora carries both Jolida and ASL.. You can send an e-mail to Tash at Soundhounds and he can tell you who is carrying ASL. ASL is bigger than Jolida as a company so they should be carried by someone in Vancouver. I''m pretty sure there is a dealer in Surrey or Langley that carries ASL.

As for the differences I can't say. The old one was very good. Have not heard the new one.

If you go to Audio Asylum in the tube forum you can ask the owner of the company Joseph Lau what improvements have been made. Be sure to put Joseph Lau in the title of your thread because ASL gets a lot of chatter and he probably won't see it.

It's actually another small advantage to be able to talk to the owner of the company either...espeically if you've never biased an amp or you want to try out different tubes.

I highly recommend Soundhounds BTW because while the store is basicaly a house they carry a very wide selection. The store is crammed with stuff but if you want to compare two brands against each other it's better than Hi-fi Center or Commercial Electronics. They don't carry everything from every brand so you should e-mail to make sure they have what you want.

The last time I was there they had the ASL MG 15DT not the AQ1003 because they had the 302B. They also had the AQ2004DT preamp and Wave 8 monoblocks that run all together $700.00Cdn or so. I prefer the integrated myself but it depends on speakers.

Partial list of the brands Soundhounds carries
http://www.soundhounds.com/

[92135011]

Hmm...
I wish SoundHounds was closer.
I dont have a car, and even if I did, it would cost a lotta money to go to the island.
I could bus there....except, I think just getting to the ferry terminal might take 2 hours
add another 2 hour boat ride with another 1.5 hour bus ride and we looking at a round trip of 11 hours!!!

That means I would have to wake up at 6am to catch the 9am ferry. Get to victoria at 1-2pm. Find Soundhounds. Spend 2 hours trying their numerous stuff. 4pm now. Get back to the terminal. Catch the 6pm ferry and get home by 10pm.

man...sounds like a lotta work. I do wanna try them side by side...but for a full day's travel + 20 bux ferry money is sorta a bummer.

[RGA]

Tell me about it - I don't have a car either because I'm going to MALU and the stupid government won't let you own a car more than 5k so I had to sell it to get a student loan.

I just borrowed the folks car.

The thing is both units sound very similar because they are both basically the same design. Both are well reviewed. My first experience of the 202A was not a good one from a build quality perspective. Hi Fi Center was selling it for $300.00CDn. Which had me excited. It had been repaired because it had actually caught fire.

But still it was supposedly fixed. I go down to listen and it wouldn't start. 3 weeks later I go into listen again and it turned on but it was crackling - sounded like an FM station not tuned in. The guy apologises and just says to gforget it he's not going to sell it to anyone. He said it was an embarrassment to have the thing in the store.

Needless to say I'm a bit leary on Jolida. My dealer at Soundhounds thinks he might drop them. The sell Audio Note and Cary as the expensive tube amp makers and ASL and Jolida as the entry level. I like the Jolida's looks better but I'm not so thrilled with the build quality and the warranty is telling.

Here is a review of the AQ1003DT. This one is two versions old...or it has been improved on twice. You don't get the full review though - it was favorable...you can order a back issue. These guys are the cheapest magazine going ~6.00Cdn and issue. http://www.uhfmag.com/Issue58/Antique.html

[topspeed]

I don't have a car either because I'm going to MALU and the stupid government won't let you own a car more than 5k

I'D DEFECT!!!

There is no way anyone will tell me what I can or cannot own, even if the university is free. I'd go to work and put myself thru college!

90210, I sincerely hope you don't have a car for the same reasons. Otherwise, STOP BUYING STEREO GEAR NOW. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200. You need wheels, son. Budget for a ride instead of new tube gear. I know you live in the city but c'mon. I can't even comprehend not having a car. YEEAAAGH!

[92135011]

dude im stilll going to school so a car is sorta useless.
I go 5 days a week, which I pay 20 bux a month for bus (a special deal for UBC students)
If i were to buy a car, I would have to pay an extra premium for insurance (cuz im in the age where I'm supposedly most reckless) so i suppose bout 150 a month. Gas aint cheap anymore, so im guessing 100 bux a month. In addition, UBC parking is a whopping 650 bux for 8 months. So if you add it all up, we coming to over 3500 a year not including the actual car. If i get a car it's probably gonna be used so if i have to change timing belt, tires, etc, that adds cost. In addition! the lower mainland has an AirCare program where every year all cars have to pass an emissions test. If i fail, I would be required to fix whatever is screwed up (such as burning oil from leaky gasket) Money money money.
Sure the bus aint the best thing...but 20 bux a month is pretty sweet compared to 300bux a month minimum for a car.

[magictooth]

Actually yes. If you want a SAFER purchase you may want to try the Antique Sound Labs AQ1003DT. It also uses the popular EL 34 but has a built in bias meter, Subwoofer output a Remote control is built better and has a 5 year warranty instead of the 1 year that Jolida offers. It has a 4ohm tap as well.

It is more expensive than the Jolida but I think you might be happier. The Sub out is pretty importantin my view and remote is frankly nice. http://www.divertech.com/aq1003dt.html

I also believe you can get this in several colour options Last years model doesn't have the remote or sub out so you may get them discounted.

The older model is $849.00 available from Adire Audio http://www.adireaudio.com/home_audio...s/AQ1003DT.htm

RGA,

How is it possible for you to recommend an integrated or other amplification source without knowing what type of speakers he's using? I've found that one type of amplifier works well with a certain type of speaker and another kind that same amplifier sounds only so-so.

With my Tannoy speakers, Jolida 302B sounds OK, but match them with the Audiomat integrated that I recently installed and WOW - we have music now.

For the Jolida 302B, I think that they have a mod that might make it sound better. I've never heard the Antique Sound Labs one.

[RGA]

RGA,

How is it possible for you to recommend an integrated or other amplification source without knowing what type of speakers he's using? I've found that one type of amplifier works well with a certain type of speaker and another kind that same amplifier sounds only so-so.

With my Tannoy speakers, Jolida 302B sounds OK, but match them with the Audiomat integrated that I recently installed and WOW - we have music now.

For the Jolida 302B, I think that they have a mod that might make it sound better. I've never heard the Antique Sound Labs one.

Generally if people are looking at tube amps they're very well aware of the matching issues. Both these tube amps are at least 30 Watts. The Jolida is a bit softer than the 1003DT in the bass giving it more of a classic tube sound. 30 Watts should be enough to drive 95% of the speakers currenly sold so that is not really an issue.

[RGA]

I'D DEFECT!!!

There is no way anyone will tell me what I can or cannot own, even if the university is free. I'd go to work and put myself thru college!

90210, I sincerely hope you don't have a car for the same reasons. Otherwise, STOP BUYING STEREO GEAR NOW. Do not pass GO, do not collect $200. You need wheels, son. Budget for a ride instead of new tube gear. I know you live in the city but c'mon. I can't even comprehend not having a car. YEEAAAGH!

You can own whatever you wish. Here is the thinking behind this move. The government provides grants and student loans to people who cannot afford to pay for it themselves. Ie; it was created as a LEVELLER. So if you come from a family of rich doctors(are there any other kind) who can send you to school they expect the rich to pay for their kid's education. More on that in a moment.

So for people who have no money but may have brains they offer student loans grants and bursaries(the latter two the rich can get as well). The theory is that they can give McDonald's workers the opportunity to have a better life. Naturally when you graduate you have a year to get a job(hopefully as somehting better than McDonald's) and the government comes a knocking for you to pay the loans back plus interest of course which isn't exactly a friendly rate ~8%

So far all of this sounds ok because the rich don't lose anything here - after all it's only money to them and either way it's going to cost. And at least they don't have to pay interest.

The problem is the government has standard rules about what constitutes people being in need. Part of their assumption is that if you can afford a new car then how can you possibly say you're poor? Remember earlier I was comparing the rich and the poor but what is lost here is the middle class. They are not rich and can't afford to go to university nor are they poor enough to get the loans.

So what do you do? You have to prove to the government you're broke, or broke enough. So they have determined that a car worth over 5k means you're rich. I know it sounds ridiculous. Personally, it is a two pronged approach to alleviate traffic in Vancouver's downtown core. The 902190 guy for example notes the $20.00 month pass. There is no way they can make money of such a program.

What UBC did or will do is FORCE every student to buy a bus pass whether they use it or not - it's part of the student fees. People with cars obviously grumbled.

Basically, they are starting to get desparate to get people out of cars and onto transit. There was a growing pace of 40,000 new cars being sold in the greater Vancouver region every year. In a city already crowded of a couple million and the refusal by the mayor to build a freeway (highway) of more than 3 lanes each way and none in the downtown core sooner or later it won't make sense to have a car...you could get out and walk faster.


Besides, People think speding 20k -50k on a stereo is nuts. As a friend of mine who used to work at a big high end store(commercial electronics) once said "I'd rather put the money where it matters" He had no fancy BMW like the other salespeople. What he did have was ML Prodigys top flight Cal Labs Bryston Monoblocks and lived in a penthouse.

You can always rent a car.

[RGA]

I said more on this later and I never got to it.

Here is where it all falls apart. Say you are 18. You have good grades and can get into university. BUT, you hate your parents and they hate you. The governent ASSUMES that if your parents are rich they will pay. You go to your rich tight wad parents who won't pay. Now you're screwed. Your parents won't pay, you can't get a loan...you can't go to university...at least until you're 22 when the above is cancelled.

The problem with governments is they make sweeping rules but don't look at individual cases and meet special need cases. And I know a girl in that situation. No dount it's a right wing idea to get families closer together - or kids to tow the line.

And at the end of the day the leveller still doesn't work because the student loan is the same across the province of BC. UBC is at least double the tuition of Malaspina and the cost of living is about double as well. The student loan for 8 months is ~$10k or $13k for the year to live on. If you work then they give you less student loan money so it really doesn't pay to work - unless you want to take the risk of not getting caught by the tax man. All in Canadian funds by the way.

I'm lucky because Malaspina is a small lesser known University-College but it has the best Education program(which is good because I'm going to be a teacher) and best culinary arts program - the latter is the ebst in the country. If you want to be an engineer you go to UBC.

In fact the education program is so strong that we often get US recruiters trying to get our newly graduated teachers. And of course Doctors, Nurses etc.

After seeing how screwy the education systems are and the warped unions who pay Janitors of schools 3 times what teachers make it's no wonder they're desperate to get teachers and why no one is willing to fill the jobs.

A girl here went to Orange county California to be a Kindergarten teacher and made $19,000.00 for the year. 5 and 1/2 years of education with $50,000 in student loans - $19,000.00 to care for presumably people's most prized assets is mind boggling to me. Needless to say she left - she had to to continue eating. Maybe Ahnold will fix it? Somehow I doubt it.

[92135011]

Wow RGA, you wrote a LOT
These days its always the middle class who get the shaft.
In the super low-income range, they get the biggest tax breaks and social security checks. On top of that, if they have kids, they get some sorta "milk money" fund. Rich people are rich anyways, so they can afford spending. However, the middle income guy who JUST passes the limit to have any sorta tax break and milk money gets the least out of everything. I know people who have 2 kids, fake a divorce, each taking custody of one kid. Then, of course, they complain about how they have to take care of the kids so they don't work, living on government checks. Now the real shocker. These 2 people continue living together in the same house as "husband and wife". They use the upstairs mailing address for 1 parent and the downstairs one for the other. Then of course there are people who really do need social economic help, such as those who are really unable to work. I'm cool with that. But definately not the fake divorce couple!

These people take the taxi for crying out loud!
I never take the taxi. I cant afford it!

There are many injustices in every country, just that Canada got too many of them. Another one would be this: I buy a CD-R. I need to pay a levy on that CD-R for copyright stuff. AND ON TOP OF THAT, I have to pay tax on the levy.

ANYONE find anything wrong there?
I'm paying tax...on a tax!
Come Vancouver some time RGA! we'll march the streets and protest! ^_^

[RGA]

Wow RGA, you wrote a LOT
These days its always the middle class who get the shaft.
In the super low-income range, they get the biggest tax breaks and social security checks. On top of that, if they have kids, they get some sorta "milk money" fund. Rich people are rich anyways, so they can afford spending. However, the middle income guy who JUST passes the limit to have any sorta tax break and milk money gets the least out of everything. I know people who have 2 kids, fake a divorce, each taking custody of one kid. Then, of course, they complain about how they have to take care of the kids so they don't work, living on government checks. Now the real shocker. These 2 people continue living together in the same house as "husband and wife". They use the upstairs mailing address for 1 parent and the downstairs one for the other. Then of course there are people who really do need social economic help, such as those who are really unable to work. I'm cool with that. But definately not the fake divorce couple!

These people take the taxi for crying out loud!
I never take the taxi. I cant afford it!

There are many injustices in every country, just that Canada got too many of them. Another one would be this: I buy a CD-R. I need to pay a levy on that CD-R for copyright stuff. AND ON TOP OF THAT, I have to pay tax on the levy.

ANYONE find anything wrong there?
I'm paying tax...on a tax!
Come Vancouver some time RGA! we'll march the streets and protest! ^_^

But if we protest people will just yell at us telling us to stop complaining and get a job.

I'm mopre of a libertarian. Most of the time I agree with Bill Maher(He had a show called Politically Incorrect). Some things I totally disagreed with him on but geenrally I wish the governents would fix roads, keep SANE laws of harm to others not to self(ie legalize drugs prostituion) and we'd probably be all better off.

Your story about the married couple - hell when I get married I'll have to remember that one. LOL. Heck why not in Canada you'd get a slap on the wrist for fraud.