Joule - Electra: Just How Hot??

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.

No reliability problems at all w my VZN-80. Disclaimer and shameless plug- its for sale. They certainly run hot and tube socket replacement sometimes is required if an output tube blows, but it did not happen to me the one time I lost an output tube. It went cherry red on me and I shut the amp down, waited til it cooled off and, popped in a new tube, re-baised it and away she went. I had one repair required due to operator error, which was handled quickly and professionally. The rear apron is not the strongest, but otherwise no complaints about build.

With earlier Joule products, Jud preferred point-to-point wiring as a purer approach than circuit boards, although he used boards to a limited extent. But over time he admitted that circuit boards provided more consistency and possibly better QC so began using them to a greater degree in his amps.

Since ptp wiring is more expensive and not used in most products, many consumers looking "under the hood" may be surprised at the absence of major circuit boards in older amps and therefore believe construction quality is not up to contemporary standards for high end amps.

And yes, they do put out a fair bit of heat but it should not be a problem in any home with AC.

I bought a pair of Grand Marquis 160's about nine years ago and found them to be almost bullet proof. Except for two power tubes that needed replacing all the tubes were original. I had to replace a couple of fuses. Finally the Variac burned out and had to be replaced. I don't consider the problems I had very bad for a tube amp that is over 9 years old. As far as the heat factor, I live in Florida and with A/C the heat never bothered me. I replaced my original pairs of amps with the same in the Musicwood chassis. That is how much I love these amps. Usual disclaimers. Don

Incredible thread.Reminds me of 1936-47 Harleys[knucklehead].Built/designed to leak oil,and some guys loved and others hated.Sounds like the whole American experience in general.Keep on keepin on,Bob