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Conrad Johnson - Anyone heard any - Use it ?

Miss Ariel

Miss Ariel

pfm Member
HI Guys - Just been reading an old HI -FI + sat there on the lav as you do - or don't :).And was reading about a Premier 140 poweramp and Roy Gregory thought it was the finest CJ amp he had the pleasure to use.

And it occurred to me despite being into Audio gear the last 40 years I have never heard any C.J. kit
Have never read a bad review about it and know certain pieces where incredible like the 350 power amp.
Also the valve power amps and of cause the Art Series preamps,and cheaper line stages.
Maybe it's down to lack of dealers in my area in the South Coast of England and maybe not being at the shows I have attended,when I went.Audio Research kit I have heard loads in the past.

Love to know your thoughts - Experience.

Cheers.
 
I own the 350 Premier and an ACT 2 Preamp. Previously had Matersound 845 monos. The 350 was an itch I had to scratch and I'm glad I did.

The only thing I'd change is the pre. I'd go GAT 2 if my wife wins the lottery. If not I'll happily keep the ACT2.
 
I really like CJ stuff. I’ve heard a fair few valve preamps and solid state power amps over the years. Lovely kit and very, very well built. I personally prefer the more traditional/classic looks of the ‘80s stuff to a lot of what they do now (i.e. pre-remote control etc) and that would be the area I’d mine myself. Easy to service too, the vast majority of capacitors being high-end film jobs even in the more budget models, so future proofing is seldom more than swapping an electrolytic or two in the PSU stage and a spray of Deoxit in the pots. If I didn’t have a conceptually similar JC Verdier preamp in the main system I’d almost certainly have a PV12 or something like that.
 
Funny you should write . . .

I have a c-j Premier 14 preamp that I'm listening to. It's excellent. I'm comparing it to my Exposure 3010S2 pre, and in some areas the c-j is just head and shoulders above the Expo (sorry Tony!). No prizes for guessing - the c-j images/soundstages a LOT better, and is obviously richer/warmer sounding - even my son asked about it sight unseen. On the other hand, the Expo sounds faster and more extended - it allows lower bass notes to come through with more clarity, and the upper treble seems more extended.

Used to work in a shop that picked up c-j, and one of the more fun experiments I did was to drive SBLs with a CDS and c-j PV12 and Premier 11. Interesting in many ways - it turns out that SBLs actually CAN present an image and soundstage, even against the wall. And the c-j gear gave them that little bit of warmth/richness that they always seem to need. If I weren't in the midst of chemo fighting colon cancer I'd be tempted to try a c-j tube amp to go with the Premier 14.

Very well made, seems to generally be quite reliable, and offers a beautiful sound that might just trip your trigger.
 
I had a PV14l for a while, it was good but not great. Sold it to a friend who had a huge room and it was amazing with a cavernous sound stage and detailing to suit.
 
I've only owned an CJ ef1 phonostage which was excellent, a friend of mine has owned a PV 10 or 12 pre , I xant remember which one and a solid state Cj power amp since the late 90's , sounds superb, pretty hard to find any faults , he used Keswick Audio speakers for about the first 10 years and has been using a pair of Avalon floorstanders for the past 10, the CJ power amp seemingly has endless power and drive, I've never heard his system distorting or clipping and he listens really loud.
 
A friend of mine had a vintage PV10A for a while. Paired with a highly modified Quad 405, the medium was almost magic, liquid with a very wide soundstage. Bass was too slow for me and treble was silky but not detailed.
Perfect for vocals or oboes kind of music IMO.
Quality of construction was more than perfect with large and high quality capacitors in the signal path where it counts.
 
Forgot to mention : just make sure the vacuum tubes are in great shape before drawing any conclusions as this is the most critical part that influences sound quality.
 
Never owned, but heard many times. They have specific character to the sound. There is some sweetness in sound which won't suit everybody taste. Something like Jeff Rowland. Very musical, interesting and inviting sound, but not for every type of music. Higher range is more neutral. I like their DAC's mixed with some solid state gear. Try if you have a chance.
 
Enfield boy said:
Julian Vereker was a fan. 'Nuff said.
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Interesting. I've always thought of CJ as "Naim with tubes". Ran a PV10A, latterly converted to an AL, for many years, also listened to PV 12 and Premier 7. Similarly to Naim, all are musically involving, resolution gets better as you go up the range.
 
FWIW, back in the day it was considered a strong rival to Audio Research and better value for money.
 
I had a PF2 (SS) a long time ago no it was really killer and I was sad I let it go. I also had a earlier and later PV10s and they were both pretty noisy; even with good NOS tubes. Wanted to check out the Motif series because the PF2 was so good.
 
I have a PV10A and MV55. Bought them 20 odd years ago and haven't had the faintest inclination to change them. They weren't cheap at the time (£1250/£2200 I think) but given the time I have had them they have proved excellent value for money. Above all I find them extremely listenable. I find many amplifiers "exciting but tiring", I don't find that with the CJ kit. Well worth a try.
 
RustyB said:
Interesting. I've always thought of CJ as "Naim with tubes".
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I've always thought, from received wisdom and personal experience, that E.A.R. were more entitled to the presentational comparison of 'Naim with valves'. I went from 135s to 509s; it took 6 months of to-ing and fro-ing to convince (with big ProAcs), though my wife was sold immediately (but not to fund the purchase !).

Of all the American makes, C.J. is the only one which has elicited my long term interest; not sure why, but I have heard their amplification in situ with big Avalon speakers. Always a bit wary of stuff from across the Pond, partly because of transport and agency add-ons and partly because of the generally depressed £ exchange over the years affecting v.f.m., and servicing.
 
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