Joule - Electra: Just How Hot??

I should add that people buy Jud's OTL's because they want the best tube sound available, at any price. The amps require care and attention, but the sonic and aesthetic rewards are there for the chosen few.

I own a Joule Marianne 300, so I can't speak about Joule amps, although I am very interested in the Rite of passage amps and have read much about the amp, the feedback I have from owners has been nothing less than spectacular for sound quality, build quality has never been an issue anyone has mentioned to me! You would think on private email that would come up if there was a problem.

The 300 preamp is a beautiful unit. I don't think it is as big and impressive looking as say the MBL6010D, which is the other preamp that was in the running when I was preamp shopping! Then again, the 6010 is nearly twice the price. After plugging the 300 in and listening to it, it was obvious the money went into the parts, and that in the end is just where I want it. A while back I purchased a Nagra PLL pre...........my first tube pre. I hated the looks of it, but the sound was undeniable, so I bought it and loved it, the sound quality of the 300 is that much better than the Nagra, and I do feel the built quality "under the hood" is as good as it gets.

Another thing that impresses me with Joule is, when I phone them, you don't get a phone message, or a receptionist who can't get ahold of anyone, or have to leave a message and they'll "get back to you". When you call, Simon answers the phone, and he seems to work 24/7. He has a wealth of audio knowledge, and I trust his audio integrity. I am very happy with my Joule product, would and probably will buy again.

On the other hand, my current amps are the Levinson 33H mono's, which I also love, and are the reference amps in many many systems. However, if you started a thread looking for issues with them, I'm sure you would find lots of people who would step up to the plate and blast them. That being said, if anyone wants to trade their Rite of passage for my Levinsons, drop me an email.

"Which Verity product are you considering Rafael "

- Parcifal Ovation or Amadis but Destiny !!!!!!!!!

Regarding the Simon, he retired year or two ago, and its the 2nd carrer/hobby as long as he lives or capable to work. This is that he says and I can't ask him for more. To the best of my knowledge he and Jud have excellent professional and working relations. Lets not forget that the "man" is Jud - Simon just bring his organization skills as well as whatever engineer/musician brings to the equation in the somewhat secondary manner.

All The Best
Rafael

I have never heard anything negative about Joule gear until I read this thread.

Maybe it was just a phase in Joule's production / manufacturing line.

My issues were with new OTLs being built in 2005 / 2006, and I was surprised to find (through private correspondence) two other gentlemen that were also having problems with their OTLs from this era and one of the guys was also having issues with his Joule phono stage.

Believe me, I went to the ends of the earth to try and resolve the issues in an amicable manner with Joule-Electra. I also made sure to have multiple members of the Bay Area Audiophile Society come over and listen to the OTLs on multiple speakers, in multiple rooms, and on various dedicated circuits in order to validate that it was not just one disgruntled buyer.

I had never heard of any issues before I bought the amps, so maybe my issues and the guys I was corresponding with represent a moment in time for the company, rather than the general experience everybody has had year after year. About a year after I sold my amps a European Joule customer emailed me asking about problems. He was having the same kind of challenges that he had seen me write about and wanted to know if I had advice.

I wished him the best, but told him that I had moved on. Again, lovely sound when they worked properly, but at that price point I needed a more reliable experience.