jolida 202 or 302?

Hey, try the 102! I played around with one when I was "between" systems. The 102b is a pretty nice amp for the money, even in stock form! Really, it's a lot of fun. Personally, unless your loudspeakers are grossly inefficient (e.g., less than 87 db, I would go with the 202 over the 302--I've heard both, and I would save the money and roll your tubes on the 202 and get a big fat cheap Belden power cord. That's my tuppence.

First off, I prefer the sonics of the EL34 Jolidas(202/302) to the EL84 based 102 by a very wide margin. Not to mention, the extra grunt they offer to drive a wider range of speakers.

Secondly, the 202 versus the 302...

I think the 202 may have a slightly sweeter sound, when used with the right tubes. Also, I find the 202 to be much more attractive. If I was driving an efficient pair of speakers in a small room, and knew that was all I ever was going to do, and the difference in cost was much greater than $150, I would opt for the 202.

In any other situation, the 302 is the wise move. By far. Why would anyone opt for the 302 over the 202? Easy, the transformers are larger in the 302. Transformers are the most costly, most important, least appreciated component of a tube amplifier. In my opinion, $150 for a pair of larger transformers is not cheap, it's a steal.

Just what do better, larger transformers buy you? Increased bandwidth, more solid bass, more power, more headroom, better able to put power into more difficult impedence/phase angles, better ability to drive a wider range of speakers, etc.

Use the power ratings as a reference only, not the absolute. They will serve you better as knowing which amplifier is stronger than the next. A 10W rating may seem insignificant, but is more ad copy than anything else. I always use power ratings, ESPECIALLY on tube amps, as a guide, not a definitive. I don't listen to 8 Ohm resistors, and I don't know too many others who do anyway. Even if the 302 measured 10W different than the 202(which I would doubt in the first place), music would prove the 302 more superior to the 202.

The effect of better/larger transformers can never be overestimated.

While it may be true that you cannot hear a difference in the setup you are listening to, I can assure you that if you compared them in a few different rooms, using a few different speakers, the $150 difference would seem like a deal you just can't refuse.

Well put Trelja.
Art

Thanks. I'll get a chance to do a head to head of the stock 302 and 202 next week. I've been inclined to follow Crazy4blues advice and get the 202 spend the extra money on tubes, etc (in part, I admit, because that extra $ is easiler to slip by without spousal approval. She already thinks I'm nuts for what I want to spend on the 202. A character in a book I read said that the greatest blow to male independence was the disappearance of separate bank accounts.)

Judasmac, I misread your original post. I thought you had efficient speakers, but you clearly stated your speakers were inefficient.

Based on that, I think you opting for the 302 is even more imperative. Transformers, plus the number of tubes, are the only means a tube amplifier can cope with a difficult loudspeaker. In fact, I would see if you could audition your speakers with either of the amplifiers. Otherwise, you'll soon be starting a thread where you are inquiring about a more efficient pair of loudspeakers for your Jolida.

While I may be one of the biggest fans of Jolida on Audiogon, they do not sound good when driving the wrong loudspeakers. Case in point, two weeks ago, I paired the 302b up with a pair of speakers I was auditioning which I was thinking about in my second system. I wanted to use the Jolida, as I consider it a baby Jadis made in China. Believe me when I say that the JSE Infinite Slope 4 turned an amplifier I highly regard into one that sounded poor. It was like a wheezing asthmatic trying to run up a San Francisco hill. And, the Infinite Slope speakers supposedly present a pretty friendly load. The combination simply did not work.

Please note in the very same room, I have personally heard the very same Jolida sound about as good as things ever get driving the heck out of a pair of Totem Arros. Just a better match.

I guess my overall point being that I can fully understand your wanting to get into tube amplification. Particularly, the glorious sound that can come from an EL34 tube amp. But, almost any amp running just 4 EL34 tubes, Jolida 202, 302, or otherwise is not fit for driving an inefficient pair of loudspeakers. The combination will not come to life, and you will wonder, in your disappointment, why you found the amp so special during your audition in the first place.

That being said, if you are looking for tubes for the Jolida, I highly recommend either JJ or Svetlana EL34. I personally prefer the JJ, as I find them to offer a better tone and bass response. The Svetlanas will give your amp a sunny disposition that is classic tube. Just about anything you plug in will be an upgrade of the small tubes.

GOOD LUCK!