Jolida CD-100...Who has moved on and...

I can't say that I replaced the Jolida with the Cambridge 740c as it's been a while since I've owned the Jolida. I will say that the Cambridge 740c sounds completely different. The 740 needs about 160 hours of break in time to come together, the sound is very transparent with excellent detail, the 740c does not sound like a Thanksgiving Turkey thats been injected with flavorings like a lot of players in this price range. The Jolida was okay but I heard a fuzz around images like a GA peach and sold it. The Cambridge is an amazing player in this price range, try one to see if it fits your tastes and your system.

I have a few cdps. One of them is a modded JD100. The posters here that were critical of the Jolida did so likely because it was a poor match in their system. Although I've never heard the stock unit, the moddded Jolida I have is a pretty good music maker that is not the last word in detail. It is far from garbage. The challenge we all face in system-building is being able to match the electronics, speakers, sources, and cabling. Then there's the issue of the room. With all these variables at work, it's a big challenge and daunting task. System synergy as a term is over-used here, but imo it's a very real concept. When you don't have it, you won't be happy with the sound of your speakers. I still have the JD 100, but I moved on to the Modwright Sony 999 and the Raysonic 128. What I hear from these players is more detail, a wider deeper soundstage, and resolution. Your mileage may vary based on the rest of your gear. Having a great amplifier-to-speaker match is crucial and then adding a synergistic source is key.

Exactly, I had really good synergy between my Ribbon/Plannar Renaissance 90's and my Aragon 4004mkII amp, 28k MKII preamp and the Jolida. I was able to tone down the speakers just enough with different tubes. Since switching to the Preludes with the conventional tweeter, they are a bit dark paired up with the Jolida no matter what tubes I use. The preludes are a more neutral speaker, and have the potential to sound great...I just have to go through the motions again with different components. I picked up a Cambridge 840c to try, have yet to hook it up but will tonight for a shootout.

I moved on to the Cary 308 from the Jolida. I did replace the stock tubes with GE black plates which improved the player. I preferred the Cary quite a bit over the Jolida. Since the Cary I have tried the Paradisea DAC and Muse Model 9 Gen III. I really like the Muse.