Have to agree with Wolf, a good quality tube amplifier has wonderful dynamics, timing and natural bass weight and texture. In the sense of realism is actually better than many SS amplifiers. I can certainty understand Mikirob and his musician relatives perspective regarding tubes natural sound. I have friends who are musicians but not audiophiles and they always seem to immediately recognize and gravitate toward the tonality and lively sound of tubes when exposed to them.
Charles, |
Ebuzz,
There's only one sure way to find out. It should be both fun and informative to compare these different types of amplifiers in your audio system(as long as the speaker is compatible).
Best of Luck, |
Ebuzz,
Congratulations! Let us know your impressions once you've become familiar and comfortable with your tube power amplifier. Keep in mind that down the road there's ample flexibility via tube rolling to really tailor the sound to your discretion. This is a significant perk with tubes.
Charles, |
I suspect musicians are drawn to the tone/harmonic overtones of tube amps when compared to the transistor alternatives. May just sound more natural to their ears. Same idea probably applies be it instrumental or audio amplifier. They have surely stood the test of time in both applications.
Charles, |
Ebuzz I wish you the best either way you decide to go. I wouldn't assume
that the ARC is "sonically" superior to the Jolida although it
certainly has more brand cache and prestige. Tube biasing and
matainance may be an advantage toward the Jolida. An audition of both of
these in your system would definitively solve the question of sonics . It's
my perception but the ARC amplifiers come off lean and whitish in
character when I've heard them, could just be the systems ? Jolida
amplifiers are low negative feedback (5 db) designs so speaker choice will
be a factor.
Charles, |
Jedinite24 makes a good case in economic terms for the used ARC. The question is which sound presentation will be more to your taste and long term happiness? The Jolida isn't expensive and is said to really respond to rolling better tubes(with ARC your limited to the 6H30 input tube only). I wouldn't down play the ease of the Jolida's tube biasing either.
A strong case can be made for both amplifiers. |
For me it comes down to what sonic characteristics are you seeking? Speaking in generalities based on my listening the ARC has a leaner sound than most tube amplifiers. Some attribute that partially to the use of the 6H30 as input tube. Some say this is good and the ARC has more clarity and transparency, some say it's more neutral. I suspect that the Jolida is relatively speaking a bit warmer and fuller in body and tone. Jolida has more opportunities to tailor the sound due to much broader choices in the input/driver tubes. So what type of sound would you be more attracted to? There are good choices of el34 tubes for variety of sonic character as well. |
Mikirob,
Seems we hear in a similar fashion (in the past I've own an ARC preamp and friends have owned their pre and power amplifiers ). The question is what type of sound is Ebuzz seeking? |
Ebuzz,
Congratulations and I believe that you'll be happy with the choice. What I like about jolida is it's reasonably price and has earned a reputation for being reliable and good sounding. What I also hear from experienced owners is it's very receptive to different tubes and simple modification like better coupling capacitors(something to consider at any future time).
If you like the sound of the stock Jolida that's a good start (the stock tubes are generic level quality). So room for significantly improved sound in an inexpensive but quite solid tube power amplifier. It's very possible that you may have been just as happy with the ARC amplifier, but given your stated sonic preference I would have made the same choice.
Charles, |
Ebuzz,
You probably know this but I'll say it anyway. This brand new amplifier will require adequate burn in time (especially those transformers) so be patient and give it time to develop its full potential. If you like it right away that's good news as it will get better. Get familiar with the sound character of your stock tubes before tube rolling attempts ( you need a baseline for comparison sake). I think tonality, body and tactile presence will differ from what you're accustom to, let your ear/brain adjust . |
Unsound,
Fair enough, I guess we are relying on different sources for owner feedback. From what I understand reliability has been said to be good.
Ebuzz,
That particular upgrade package is quite worthwhile from word of mouth. I think that was a good decision. I'll be interested to read your thoughts in the future once you've settled down with it.
Charles, |
Hi Mikirob,
As long as you have a compatible speaker (efficiency/load) I believe you'll absolutely love the 300b Frankenstein. Arthur Salvatore was 100% correct in his unbridled enthusiasm. I hope you're able to acquire one in the near future.
Charles, |
Ebuzz,
I wouldn't suggest leaving a tube power amp on 24/7 but you certainly can have it on throughout the day when you are home. I don't like to frequently turn an amplifier on-off but this is obviously a personal choice.
Bottom line, I think you're going to enjoy and appreciate what a tube amplifier offers to your listening experience.
Charles, |
Mikirob,
You're on a very good road toward wonderful sound. |
Ebuzz,
That question has been debated countless times on this forum and there's simply no "right" answer. I believe that the tube amplifier contributes more of a tube character to a system than the preamp (still lmportant however).
If given one choice, I'd go SS pre( must be a good one) with tube amp rather than tube pre with SS amp. In all honesty you can have exceptional sound quality with either combination ( there's a lot of good components available). Tube pre with SS amplifier is the more popular route, so I'm in the minority. My ideal preference, tube pre and amplifier.
Charles, |
Ebuzz,
You ask logical questions that don't have definitive answers. Both are important and the weak link in a system will stand out. For this hypothetical choice I'm just bias toward good solid quality tube amplifiers that utilize high quality transformers. The transformer is critical to achieve good sound quality and makes or breaks the amplifier IMO. If in addition good capacitors, resistors and other good parts are used with high built standard, you're on your way. In my own experience the amplifier-speaker match has profound ramifications.
Obviously these principles apply to preamplifiers as well. If forced to prioritize, amplifier first then the preamp. I think you're on your way toward a very satisfying audio system.
Charles, |
Depends on your personality. I had my prior system virtually unchanged for 12-14 years. My current system is 4 years old and will remain into the foreseeable future. Did some fine tuning the past year but that's done now. Once I reach a certain point enough is enough. You can become obsessive about audio components if you don't watch yourself and place more emphasis on the sound rather than enjoyment of your music.
Charles, |
Nostubeman,
You captured well the special qualities of good tube components particularly the power amplifiers. Tactile presence, flesh on the bone and true natural tonality= convincing realism. So far as with you I've not gotten this level of believability from any SS amplifier, at least so far.
Charles, |
