Customer Reviews

Jolida 801A 140 watt tube stereo amplifier

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I had been a restless audiophile, upgrading components, buying new interconnect and speaker cables, changing to Martin-Logan electostatic speakers, generally looking for a more satisfying listening experience.

After buying a new JD 801 amplifier in 2000, the hunt for better equipment came to an end because this is a very musically satisfying amplifier. The soundstage is broad and deep, the bass is tight, controlled, and has good extension, the mid-range is liquid, and the highs a little bit rolled off. This amplifier has an excellent sense of rhythm - the music just flows. Vocals are very natural, giving the sense that the singer is in the living room. The tone and timbre of musical instruments - guitar, piano, bass, strings - are like the real thing.

Having experienced tubes, there's no going back to solid state equipment. The emotion and soul of the music comes through. The combination of tubes and electrostatic speakers is magical, grabs your attention, and pulls you in.

There is more expensive gear from vendors such as VTL, VAC, and others that delivers sonic improvements over the JD 801. What's not clear, though, is that the music and overall listening experience would be more satisfying. It's about the music, not the audio equipment at this point.