Jolida 102B - enough power for Smaller Advents?


I've got an old pair of Smaller Advent speakers that I'm planning on having restored (new foam, etc.). I'm currently looking at an amp to drive them, and thinking about going tube. Although I've never owned a tube power amp before, I'm familiar with the sound of tubes in recording equipment, and I think I would really enjoy a tube amp in my listening system. Based on what I've been reading, Jolida looks like the best deal in my pricerange (ca. $700). However, there doesn't seem to be a Jolida dealer in my area - all the "audiophile" shops around here seem to want to sell me a home theater receiver! Therefore, I haven't been able to audition the amplifier, and I haven't been able to figure out if it would adequately drive the Advents (via the 4 ohm taps, of course).
I don't need thunderous volume. Sources would be my Oppo universal player, and maybe a turntable (through an external phono preamp). I listen to classical, indie rock, and jazz, pretty much in that order. Thanks!
matyas

Showing 4 responses by matyas

Thanks, that's kind of what I was afraid of. I'm guessing that if I want to use the Smaller Advents, I'd have to go solid-state. I probably don't have the funds to buy the Jolida as well as a new pair of speakers, but assuming I did, what would be a reasonably-priced pair that can be decently driven by the 102b?
Well, I got it straight from the horse's mouth, as it were. According to an email I received from Jolida, the 102B will have trouble with speakers rated at less than 88 dB sensitivity. According to some specs I found, the Smaller Advent is rated at around 83 dB.
Thanks, everyone, for your input. Since I actually already own the Advents and do not own the Jolida, I'll be looking for a different amp, rather than a different set of speakers. I do understand that there are better speakers (and certainly more efficient ones) out there, but the whole point of putting this system together was to make use of some old Advents I had lying around. Hoopster - part if it is nostalgia. They were my Dad's and I grew up listening to them. Atmasphere, I'm also a composer/recording engineer, and much as I do genuinely like the Smaller Advents, I can't imagine using them as monitors. When I get around to replacing my my studio monitors (not happening for awhile), I'll probably try to go B&W (600 series or so).
Anyway, can anyone recommend a sub-$1000 tube amp that can drive the Smaller Advents? If this helps, according to Stereophile's measurements, the Smaller Advents' impedance never dips below 4 Ohms (regardless of frequency), and they measured the sensitivity at around 84.5 dB. The recommended minimum power is 15 W into 4 Ohms (though of course I'm guessing I'll want more than that). The room is pretty mall - maybe 12 x 12 with a fairly low ceiling. I live in a city row house, so I rarely crank anything.
However, unless anyone has any suggestions for tube amps that would work, I'm thinking I'll have to go SS. I'm looking into Rotel, Music Hall, Musical Fidelity, Outlaw Audio, and maybe NAD. I'd also be open to cool vintage suggestions (old McIntosh, Pioneer, Marantz, maybe?)
Jerry, I'm looking into the 1501. I don't know too much about hybrid amps, but that might be a good way to go. In the recording world hybrid gear tends to get slammed - things like hybrid microphone preamps usually don't run the tubes at full voltage and include the tubes more as a marketing device than an amplification device. However, I suspect things might be a little different with this beast - looks like it's not too different than using a tube preamp with an SS power amp. I've also seen some deals on the Jolida 502 - supposedly offers 60 watts. Could that (or a similar amp) do the trick?