FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Why do I see similar tubes online for less money?

They may or may not actually be the same tubes and possibly counterfeit or relabeled. The tubes are purchase from the top quality of each manufacture and tested at their factory. We then verify, match, test, and burn in every quad or tube by hand that we sell to make sure it meets our standard for quality and sonic character. When ordered with our gear we actually use your equipment when we match and burn in the new tubes. Doing this ensures that you have the best example of a tube and allows us to guarantee our tubes for one year. When you see a lower price make sure you read the fine print. Of course it takes time and money, so that is a consideration when we price our tubes.

Can I buy Iso Acoustic feet and put them on myself?

NO! The feet are custom and the chassis is different than the stock chassis. YOU WILL VOID YOUR WARANTY if you attempt the modification. We will make no exceptions. If you have questions about an upgrade please reach out if interested in retrofitting older gear.

I saw Black Ice Gear on Google search for a great price is it real?

No, we enforce a minimum advertised price. Any website with a price lower than the prices on this site is likely bait and switch unless noted as a used unit. No site with low pricing are dealers(no warranty) or have any stock of our gear. If they try to place an order it will not be honored.

Do you offer Dual(Stereo) Subwoofer Outputs?

Yes, in the Fusion F11, Fusion F22, and Fusion F35 we can add a dual(stereo) subwoofer out for $150, just call and ask before checkout. We will be adding it as an option on the site as soon as we can. Our Fusion F360 Preamplifier comes standard with dual(stereo) subwoofer outputs.

I purchased my Black Ice Gear on a forum or second hand do I have a warranty or phone support?

No, unless the dealer is listed on our dealer list there is No Warranty or Phone Support. You can always call or email us and ask. Additionally the Warranty is Non Transferable. If purchased used Black Ice Audio gear has No Warranty Coverage regardless of age. We will service and upgrade your gear, but the customer will be responsible for all shipping, labor, and part costs. Black Ice Audio will also need to verify the gear is in spec before we do any work on it.

Where do I get service or warranty support, is it US based?

Absolutely, we service everything in Maryland. When you call you speak directly to the designers/engineers when you have an issue.

I was on a ex-dealers site and their statement led me to believe Black Ice has new management is that true?

We guess you could say it that way, Black Ice Audio has a new partner, Jaime. However, Jerred, Mike, and Jaime are a team, so they decided together to more tightly control pricing and minimize the effect of inflation on our customers. We are the same people building the same high quality products as we have been for nearly 30 years. We’ve moved the majority of online sales to Black Ice Audio direct. We were already testing, warehousing, servicing, and shipping from Maryland, so it didn’t make sense for us to have online dealers call us to place an orders for you. Plus it made it possible for us to offer 45 day auditions!

There are many alternative tube amplifiers, are they as good as Black Ice Audio gear?

We honestly can’t answer that, everyone hears differently and places a different value on sonics, part quality, reliability, and service. We are not a distributor, we design and build Black Ice Audio, so we are very biased. The best we can do is say that we feel we are unmatched in sonics, part quality, reliability, and fast service even at 3x the price. Our technology is proprietary, so only Black Ice sounds like Black Ice. We hope you’ll consider taking advantage of our 45 day returns to hear our gear for yourself. Our sound may not be for you, but we would appreciate you giving us an audition.

Is the Black Ice Audio Fusion line just Jolida gear with a redesign?

No, we love the legacy Jolida gear, but all of the Fusion line amplifiers and components are superior in every way to the original Jolida gear. We reused the Fusion name only, the internals and sound are fundamentally different.

How is the Black Ice Audio Fusion line better than the Legacy Jolida Amplifiers?

Our older Jolida stuff is excellent but the Fusion line is on another level. The Jolida amps are single-ended with 3 gain stages and proprietary transformers. The Fusion line is balanced with 2 gain stages, a much lower noise floor, much lower negative feedback(-12 Jolida vs. -4.5 BI Fusion), and Hafler design transformers.

Is it possible to buy Jolida gear in 2022?

Yes, on the used market. However, we have not made gear under the Jolida name since 2018, so if you see a product listed as a new Jolida product, we didn’t design or build it. We can help you identify if it’s genuine Jolida with a serial or model number.

Did Black Ice Audio buyout or merge with Jolida?

No, Black Ice Audio is the original U.S. based Jolida INC. We were forced to change our name and redesign all of our circuits after a Chinese company who was assisting in manufacturing stole all of our IP/designs and began producing Jolida clones. They have since moved on to making amplifiers under additional brand names.

Who designed the original Jolida gear?

Hansen and Mike are the sole designers all of the circuits and aesthetics the award winning Jolida equipment. We do not rebrand an OEM designs.

Does Jolida / Black Ice Audio have any association with XYZ Company?

No, Black Ice Audio/Jolida does not have any associations with other companies unless mentioned specifically by us in our literature.

Why can’t I find used Black Ice Audio/Jolida Gear?

We are not a high-volume builder and most of our owners keep their gear, not much is sold second-hand. Jerred helps customers tube roll with 30 year old gear, we also troubleshoot and service it if needed.

Is Black Ice Audio Gear made under any other name?

No. Our gear, design, and technology is ours alone. Any product calming even similar specs or design is not comparable. Any company or person claiming to have designed or built Jolida gear outside of Hansen/Mike is being untruthful. The cutting edge Black Ice Audio circuits are designed by Jim Fosgate and Jerred Dunkerson.

Why are dealers that I associate with Black Ice Audio no longer on your dealer list?

We have decided to focus on making sure dealers have demo units so customers can hear our gear in a showroom and compare it without maxing out their credit cards. We are currently looking to add dealers who share our philosophy and will be adding them as fast as possible.

I’ve been waiting for “Demo” units to go up on forums, but they have disappeared, what happened?

Black Ice Audio products now is only be sold by authorized dealers online at MSRP and through the Black Ice Audio website. All of those “Demo” listings have been removed and will not reappear, those dealers are no longer associated with our brand. If the seller is not on the dealer list they are selling a unit used with no warranty, if there is a warranty its not through Black Ice Audio. If you see online pricing below the Black Ice Direct price it’s a gray market item and will likely have no Warranty or Support from Black Ice Audio. If in doubt please call us at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

Why is the warranty 5 years now? Did you change the product?

No, we have not changed anything. Our gear is still made with top-quality parts, QC’d in Maryland, and built to the same exacting standards. The fact is that warranty repairs are rare with our products. So why change it then? We decided to extend the warranty period when we launched the Black Ice Direct site.

Does Black Ice Audio service legacy Black Ice and Jolida gear?

Yes, absolutely! Please contact support and we will be happy to get you rocking again. Call us at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

Can I have you upgrade gear I have had for a while?

Absolutely, just give us a call. If you know what you want that’s amazing. If you’re looking for a particular sonic change, but don’t know how to get there we can help.

Call us at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

Who does upgrades and repairs?

Jerred actually does the work himself.

I’m a current original Jolida owner and I want to upgrade, can I get a discount?

Yes, absolutely! Any registered owner of a legacy amplifier is eligible for a substantial discount with a trade-in. Please contact us for details and a return shipping label.

Call us at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

Wait, my Jolida amplifier is broken, does that matter?

No, we don’t want our gear in a landfill, we will recycle everything we can and responsibly recycle your old gear. Call us at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

I just want to get rid of this heavy old amplifier, I use my phone for everything, what should I do?

Please contact us and we will provide you with a shipping label and we will responsibly recycle your old gear. Call us at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

Where do you make this stuff?

Please click here for the details!

What’s the real difference between the Fusion F22 and Fusion F35?

To make the Fusion F22 smaller and sleeker we had to make two major changes to the Fusion F35 design, the peak RMS output had to be lowered due to shrinking the output transformers and the XLR inputs were omitted. We think that the Fusion F22 is a perfect compromise of power and features.

Can the Fusion F11 drive 89db Speakers?

Absolutely, all of our amplifiers have the power to drive difficult speakers, even the FX10. However, there can be exceptions, so if in doubt give us a call at (301) 953-2014 or email us at support@blackiceaudio.com

Why are Black Ice Audio DACs not Asynchronous?

We believe the best way to engineer a DAC is for accuracy, part of that is not allowing the DAC to upsample or downsample. DACs that have upsampling and downsampling are less likely to have issues during playback, however they have alter the original digital source and the result is inaccurate playback.

What tubes do we recommend for Klipsch Speakers?

A safe recommendation is EL84s, 6550s, or KT88s for all Klipsch speakers. The EL34s, may be too revealing with Klipsch speakers for some listeners. That said, one of our patterners uses the F22 with EL34’s and Heresy II’s he upgraded with Crites Tweeters/Crossovers. We encourage you to tube roll to find the best fit for your taste.

How long do tubes last?

Our gear is very easy on tubes. Typically our power tubes last about 7-8 years if you use your amplifier a few hours every day. Signal tubes can actually much last longer up to 15-20 years. The fact is that tubes last a long time and you should not worry about spending a lot to maintain your tube gear if you check bias periodically.

Is it true that tube amplifiers get better as the tubes age?

Yes, there is a noticeable change when the tubes burn-in after about 1000 hours. Don’t be afraid to use your amplifier!

Is it bad to turn your tube amplifier on and off quickly?

Yes, you should wait about 10 min after you turn it off before restarting because the protection circuit can not protect hot tubes from a voltage spike. However, if you do accidentally turn it on and off quickly the amplifier and tubes should be just fine.

What about 220/240v for international customers?

Our product can be switched to use 220/240v for our international customers.

I purchased my Black Ice Audio gear used/pre owned do I have a warranty and phone support?

No, we only offer warranty and phone support to the original purchaser. We will ask for verification when you reach out, so please register your warranty here or have your proof of purchase ready when you contact us.