What's better than the Jolida JD100

when i owned the jolida, i replaced the tubes with nos 12ax7, 12au7 and 12ay7. i used a variety of ac cords. the player was on the harsh side. it is not tube sensitive.

i owned the jolida player. i don't have a clue why it has garnered such praise. it certainly is not warm or sounds like it has a tubed analog stage, probably because of the dac chips and op amps. most 24/96 or 24/192 players sound very similar.

as far as alternatives, the question is , in what direction ?

you might need to modify a player, changing caps and op amps to get an improvement.

the state of digital players in my opinion is a sorry state. most of them are unpleasant to listen to for more than a half an hour.

i heard the flagship marantz sacd player (over $6000) that soiunded acceptable and then there is the amr. both are above your price target.

perhaps you should consider a tubed dac, such as the $1500, little dac from exemplar audio.

i acknowledge the affect of the room, however, there are two other factors.

while i had the jolida, i also owned and do own an audionote cd2. the latter player makes the jolida sound like solid state. the latter player is tube sensitive.
since i hear differences in cd players in my rooom, which is overdamped , by some standards and has windows, this brings me tow issue number two, perception.

i find that i am much less tolerant than other to extension in the treble. my listening preferences and hearing ado disagree with many audiophiles on this forum.
i am more tolerant of what would be considered "dull" sound. thus , what some would consider warm, like the jolida, i would not.

i have had many interesting audio experiences at ces where in the same room, i have disagreed with the tonal character of what i have heard with others in the room and have preferred a sound that mnay others do not like.

so, to sum up, since my sonic preferences are at variance with a majority of audiophiles, i would characterize the joilda as not warm. my idea of warm me be more subtractive than what others consider warm.

i think i have now explained my position and in the future, as i comment about the sound of other components, one will realize that my prefernce for a very euphonic sound and perception is somewhat idiosyncratic.

i will pay close attention to a jolida cd player, the next time i hear it. all i can say is my audionote player is more subtractive in the treble than the jolida, regardless of line cord and tube.

there are many cd players out there which may be preferred over the jolida. it's a matter of opinion, as sound is subjective. we all have our favorites. right now, the joilida is not one of them.

perhaps, if i heard it again, my attitude would be different. at this point, it is just another cd player with two tubes.