Jolida Fx10

Thanks Sfar for the update and additional info. I need to check the specs of the speakers you are using with the FX10. I have a pair of KEF 103/3 speakers I was thinking of using with the FX10 and I don't know if it will be a good match.

Sorry, I can't advise you about a match with your KEF speakers. When I bought the FX10 I did try it in my living room both with a pair of Soliloquy SAT5 monitors and my Devore 8 floorstanders, neither of which is particularly sensitive. The FX10 sounded great with either pair in an 11 x 17 room but I didn't try to drive the speakers very hard.

I am thinking of getting one of these amps and running a pair of Polk RT55's. I have the opportunity to bring my speakers into a local shop 1st to see how they handle the amp. I do not have any tube amps as yet. I was looking at Bob Latino's Dynaco ST120 kit but it cost a lot more that the $499 the Jolida FX-10 is going for albeit not nearly as powerful. Am I going to be sorry? My musical taste vary from the Beatles to NIN and some Dubstep.

I think it is worth giving the Jolida a listen. I suspect the Dynaco would go louder and clearer if working properly but it might be a non issue depending on your lsitening habits. The Jolida surprised me in that regard for its size and cost when I heard it.

Definitely audition them with your speakers. Whether it works for you may also depend on the size of the room. Ten watts isn't a lot but my FX10 has more than enough power in an 11x11' office with a pair of fairly inefficient single-driver speakers. I continue to be amazed at how satisfying the sound is and I've had no problems with the FX10 listening to it several hours a day.

If you're new to tubes the FX10 is a good introduction. The auto-bias feature means you don't have to deal with that for awhile. Some tube amps that aren't auto-bias make it easy to set the bias manually but some are a pain in the ass to deal with.

Another advantage is that upgrades to the EL84 and 12ax7 tubes are relatively inexpensive and the amp does respond well to an upgrade from the stock EH tubes.