# Jolida JD-801A and powered subs



## mlundy57 (May 21, 2013)

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this or not. 

I just bought a used Jolida JD-801A integrated stereo amp. I was planning on using this amp with two part speakers. The top portion covers ~250 Hz and up, is passive and connects via speaker cables. The bottom part covers 20Hz - 250Hz, is active and has its own plate amp. 

The JD-801A does not have any preamp outputs. I can use a Y-adapter and split the input signal before connecting to the 801A. While this does send a full range signal to the subs, it does not go through the volume control. I need both signals, active and passive, to pass through the same volume control.

The most elegant solution would be to add left and right preamp outputs to the 801A. I don't even know if that can be done or how to do it if it can.

Anybody got any ideas?

Thanks,

Mike


----------



## ajinfla (May 10, 2009)

What connection(s?) does the plate amp have?
Is this a DIY system? Seems strange it would have no clear way to connect both simultaneously either at high or low level.

cheers


----------



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

This is not a beautiful solution, but it will work. I have used these parts for making measurements, no reason it would not work for your situation.

Two of these banana to 1/4 in female adapters, assuming your amplifier's outputs accommodate a dual-banana connector, allow you to connect to your amplifier's speaker outputs. Ideally, it would be nice to connect internally to a buffered line-level signal following the volume control, but that might not be possible, and would be extremely complicated, a job for a designer or repair tech. Tapping the output signal will work just fine for your powered woofer connection.

Then you will need a short cable or adapters like this 1/4 in to rca cable.

This volume control lets you decrease the level so it does not overload the input to your woofer. Be sure you connect the speaker out signal from your Jolida to the "input" side and the "output" side to the powered woofer. The volume control lets you balance the woofer and HF portions of your speakers.

Then a pair of long cables - male rca connector to "whatever connects to your woofer input," probably another male rca, to get to the woofers.


----------



## mlundy57 (May 21, 2013)

Thanks everybody. High level speaker connections from the binding posts to the sub's plate amp worked for integrating the sub with volume control in my current 2.1 system.

I called Jolida and the speaker level connection to the plate amp was their solution for the current 2.1 system also. However, it became apparent during the discussion the there was no way to directly use the 801A (or even the new 801brc) with full range speakers that have both active and passive components and use a capacitor inline as a high pass filter. Since the 801 (either A or brc) is integrated, there is no way to get the HPF between the preamp and the power amp. 

The solution is to add a JD-5T tube preamplifier to the 801 basically turning it into separates rather than an integrated amp. The 5T has 4 selectable inputs, 2 sets of outputs and a remote volume control (the 801A's volume control is not remote). At $549 the JD-5T is a relatively inexpensive solution that keeps the 801A making beautiful music.

Thanks again for your help.

Mike


----------



## AudiocRaver (Jun 6, 2012)

Cool, glad you got it figured out.


----------

