2. analog
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Jolida JD-9 Upgrade

I've had my Jolida JD-9 phono stage for over 20 years, and it's been even longer since it had its Level 3 upgrade done by PCX.  Is there a time when it needs the opamps, caps, etc., replaced short of failure?  Nothing lasts forever, and I haven't noticed any change in performance.  If it needs it again I'm going the DIY route.

Thanks,

John Cotner

New Ulm, MN   

jrcotner

Showing 2 responses by armstrod

armstrod
602 posts
 

@jrcotner,

The correct V5i for the JD-9 in all positions is the Single x 2.

armstrod
602 posts
 

First thing is if you've been running the same tubes for 20 years then they probably need replacement. There are lots of options for 12AX7s - I really liked the Sovtek 12AX7LPS. Low noise, readily available, sound great.

I did all my own upgrades on my JD-9, and they're easy to do. It's possible your output caps have deteriorated in 20 years, but they don't get stressed much in the JD-9 so they're likely fine. I replaced my OEM caps with Jupiter Beeswax and it made a noticeable improvement. Again, there are many choices.

Opamps might fail but don't wear out. I originally installed the Burr-Brown (OPA627) op amps and they were better than the OEM but not dramatically. The big change came when I bought 6 Burson V5i on sale; they were majorly better.

If you can solder, you can easily DIY all these changes. Good luck!

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