Hi Mrsoundman! You did not mention your room size, what you like to listen to, and if you have any specific sonic priorities, so it's kind of hard to recommend an amp. But, I do have to agree with some of the other posts regarding the Jolida gear, especially when re-tubed. They are quite magical, and hard to beat for the $$$, especially used. Which model you choose might come down to what you like to hear in the music; the 6550 based 502 will give you a bit more power and bass control, the 202/302 will give you more midrange clarity and a sweeter top end. At least that has been my experience with these amps. I choose the 502 because it mated better with the speakers I had at the time, and it gave me great satisfaction. I kept it for about 4 years before I "upgraded" to a pair of VTL MB-175 monoblocks. In retrospect I should have held on to the amp too. The Jolida could hold its own when compared to the MUCH more expensive VTL amps, and never sounded less than musical. In fact, besides output power, the difference between the Jolida 502 and the VTL gear might seem like minutua to some, especially at sane listening levels. Yes, the VTL amps perform "better" in all the typical audiophile areas, but at 10x the price of a used Jolida, they had better! To make a long story short, at the end of the day, I could happily live with the Jolida, and I bet you could too, unless you HATE the idea of tube "rolling" and are against hot glass bottles in your listening room. Just might be the perfect amp for a tube loving audiophile on a budget, who has a small room/system, and fairly efficient speakers. One word of caution though; I did have some problems with my 502, most of which seemed to be caused by poor UPS handling. And the company replaced the unit no questions asked! This might be an isolated incident, and in now way should it discourage you from considering these amplifiers. I just thought you should know. Having said that, I'm considering getting another one for my den system! Best of luck with your search.
