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In Reply to: RE: Conrad Johnson solid state amplifiers compared posted by Ghibli on December 30, 2024 at 12:24:14
I have never owned (or even heard) CJ amps. I stayed away from them because, in the reviews and user texts I read, I got the impression that the house sound of CJ products didn't sound like something I'd like.
I was using solid state electronics: GAS Thalia, and Grandson, then Hafler DH 220. My first venture into tube electronics was with a Dynaco ST-70. Later I got a pair of Dynaco Mk IIIs which I liked better. But these tended to be plagued by mechanical hum and other problems, and I don't know enough to fiddle with them as a hobby, so I bought a used Audio Research VT-100. Two things--ARC's superb service and the sound that was much more "objective" to my ears than the Dyna amps.
I traded up to a VT-100 Mk III, which was better than the original, and that was my power amp for a long time.
I'm wondering if those responding to this inquiry have anything to say about the sound of ARC valve power amps compared to CJ?
Follow Ups:
while ARC house sound is neutral. HP used a Premier One to drive the IRS back in the day. One of the best line stages I've heard was at Sea Cliff where HP mated an ART with VTL Wotan power amps.
Should you consider a tube preamp, just make sure you understand impedance matching. They need higher (50k+) input Z amps for optimum performance.
Had a VT-100MKII for a couple of years. Replaced it with VTL MB-450s which not only offered more power but better resolution in the midrange. They continue to work fine 24 years later.
"I'm wondering if those responding to this inquiry have anything to say about the sound of ARC valve power amps compared to CJ?"They're different ;-) It really depends on your preference. Here's my take but others might disagree.
I had the CJ Premier 11a which was my first ever tube amp. It was warm, a little lush, smooth, and a bit rolled off up top. The midrange was outstanding. It had some bass but not very deep or impactful. I later upgraded to a cheaper pair of AES/Cary SixPac EL34 monoblocks. These were less expensive but easily outperformed the CJ Premier 11a - at least for my taste. They went deeper with more impact in the bass, had outstanding midrange, were more dynamic and 'alive' all around. They sounded more powerful even though they were rated at around 50 - 60wpc compared to the CJ's 70wpc. I know, that's not much of a difference in power but they did sound more power-ful. I soon realized what people meant by 'polite' in describing CJ. Could it be that I just prefer the EL34 sound vs 6550 in this match up?
I also had the ARC VT-50 and the VT-100mkII. The 50wpc VT-50 was thin and lean sounding in my system. The ARC VT-100mkII was far better. It wasn't very 'tubey' sounding like my CJ or Cary/AES SixPacs but it did have some of that tube magic (not much) and it was sufficiently powerful, full-bodied, and dynamic. I wished it were warmer sounding. I installed KT88's in place of the 6550's in my VT-100mkII but that seemed to only veil the sound slightly. The 6550 were more transparent. The ARC VT-100mkII was not at all 'lush' or 'warm' like the CJ and AES/Cary SixPacs but I still enjoyed it.
That being said, here's my very short summary of how I heard a few CJ tube preamps compared to ARC.
- CJ is warm lush tubey and polite. A bit rolled off at each extreme. That's it in a nutshell.
- ARC was more neutral but didn't sound much like tubes to me. These were the LS-16mkII and LS-25mkII. In fact, these ARC are solid-state JFET designs with tube buffers on their output. As such, I think they compromised on what a good solid-state preamp can sound like and at the same time compromised on what a tube preamp should sound like! In other words, they took a solid-state preamp and rolled off the bass response and impact by tacking a couple tube buffers on the output. Top end was reasonably extended but the overall sound was not to my liking.
- The best sounding tube preamp I had was truly an all-tube design in the Cary SLP-05 using 8 6SN7 tubes (only 6 are used in the linestage, the other two were for the headphone amp section). The Cary was fully dynamic, transparent, smooth, warm, full-bodied and robust, with no audible bass or treble roll-off. Now that's how a tube preamp should sound! Not very many tube preamps get it right across the board.
The Cary SLP-05 driving my Pass Labs X150.5 was very very good!
I think I DO like the EL34 sound! My Manley Neo-Class 250 monoblocks created EL34 heaven, something a 6550 amp can never achieve and isn't meant to. I even prefer EL34's in my Rogue integrated amp. But that's another topic for another day.
YMMV.
Edits: 12/31/24
Thanks for your detailed response!
My current power amp is a Pass Labs X250.5. It is the best-sounding power amp I have yet heard.
Cheers!
~
I bought the Grandson, based on a dealer's recommendation, when I owned very efficient speakers. These were Klipsch Cornwalls. This was around 1974. When I subsequently bought a much less efficient pair of speakers, KEF 104aB, I was persuaded to go for a more powerful power amp.
I thought they were both very good-sounding power amps.
I'm sorry I never tried a tube power amp with the Cornwalls. I did when I later had a pair of Klipschorns and Altec Model 19s. I tried a couple of different tube power amps (the only ones I recall were Welborne SETs). I eventually concluded the Klipsch speakers were not to my linking--too much horn coloration and listener fatigue for my taste.
Now I am a devoted QUAD ESL owner. I'm using a Pass Labs X250.5 which I bought when I had a very power and current-hungry pair of speakers B&W Matrix 801 Its. The Pass amp sounds really great even they are ridiculously over-powerful for my QUADS. I might try their 50 W/Ch all class A amp sometime when I get the itch to tr something different.
...monoamp, I strongly recommend them.. I own and LOVE my pair driving SoundLab Majestic 745s, and these Passes are the best- and most-musical-sounding amps of many I've tried.. Big, heavy, and hot? YES.. Sublime-sounding music? YES!!!
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