wadiman Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 I would like to apply - ET3SE preamp in-situ which I adore. Gave me a real step-up in SQ. When i have some spare cash-ish i'll be looking for a suitable power amp partner although to be honest, it does sound pretty good with the Bryston 9BST. Possible candidates include a GaNFet amp, CJ 2550/SE (very rare over here) or a CJ ET250S. 1
Pops110 Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 6 minutes ago, evil c said: Jeezus you don't muck around, l haven't even joined yet! Better not sell it for awhile then. You snooze you lose.
wadiman Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 On 16/09/2021 at 1:57 PM, Jon Snow said: Hi guys do you have any experience with a CJ ET3 SE? There’s one up for sale. I’d like to match it with a SS amp to drive my Maggies. I’m looking for the warm , lush , 3D sound . Any thoughts whether I get this kind of sound from this preamp. Thanks in advance Have only just seen this thread and your post. Did you end up getting it? I have one and it is amazing! Especially after some tube rolling (thanks to Kirk!). 1
Pops110 Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 36 minutes ago, wadiman said: Have only just seen this thread and your post. Did you end up getting it? I have one and it is amazing! Especially after some tube rolling (thanks to Kirk!). Kirk knows his He’s a legend. Where’s the photos mate?
wadiman Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 1 minute ago, Pops110 said: Kirk knows his He’s a legend. Where’s the photos mate? Unfortuantely the system is packed away at the moment - moving digs - will update this thread in due course. 1
evil c Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 1 hour ago, wadiman said: I would like to apply - ET3SE preamp in-situ which I adore. Gave me a real step-up in SQ. When i have some spare cash-ish i'll be looking for a suitable power amp partner although to be honest, it does sound pretty good with the Bryston 9BST. Possible candidates include a GaNFet amp, CJ 2550/SE (very rare over here) or a CJ ET250S. It is a no brainer, l ran a Bryston 4B3 with my CJ CT5 preamp. Bought an ET 250S, and never connected the 4B3 again- massive improvement! The 250S flies under the radar in their range, it is worth hunting one down! 1
wadiman Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 29 minutes ago, evil c said: It is a no brainer, l ran a Bryston 4B3 with my CJ CT5 preamp. Bought an ET 250S, and never connected the 4B3 again- massive improvement! The 250S flies under the radar in their range, it is worth hunting one down! Thanks Evil C - that's really good to know - will keep my eyes peeled! 1
evil c Posted July 21, 2022 Posted July 21, 2022 1 minute ago, wadiman said: Thanks Evil C - that's really good to know - will keep my eyes peeled! Join CJ forums and put up a WTB, otherwise it might be a long wait!, 1
Rusdy Posted October 11, 2022 Posted October 11, 2022 Good afternoon all I have a Conrad Johnson PV8 that needs a service, can anyone recommend somewhere in melbourne. I purchased it from Vince Testa many years ago....still going strong but in need of attention Cheers
evil c Posted October 11, 2022 Posted October 11, 2022 3 hours ago, Rusdy said: Good afternoon all I have a Conrad Johnson PV8 that needs a service, can anyone recommend somewhere in melbourne. I purchased it from Vince Testa many years ago....still going strong but in need of attention Cheers If you care about your CJ amplifier, send it to David at Caxton Audio in Brisbane. He is the repair agent in Australia, so has access to the schematics etc. that many repairers won't be able to get, and knows them inside out. He does a great job fairly quickly, and price is generally more than fair!, 3
audiodyna Posted October 11, 2022 Posted October 11, 2022 I owned the Premier 7B and 8A since new, thirty over years ago. Sold the Premier 8A twenty two years ago. years ago. Regret until today. Found a pair of Premier 5 a few years ago and matched quite well with the 7A. Conrad Johnson pre and power are always matching like magic. 4
jon96789 Posted February 16, 2023 Posted February 16, 2023 Is Conrad-Johnson still in business? I have a pre-amp in need of repair and have been unable to get in contact with them. They have not responded to my e-mails and do not answer the phone.
evil c Posted February 16, 2023 Posted February 16, 2023 41 minutes ago, jon96789 said: Is Conrad-Johnson still in business? I have a pre-amp in need of repair and have been unable to get in contact with them. They have not responded to my e-mails and do not answer the phone. That's very disappointing, but I'm sure they are still in business. As you are in Hawaii, I'd persevere as sure they can help you.
La scala Posted May 15, 2024 Posted May 15, 2024 CJ Premiers 5 Monoblocks have stunned my ears beyond expectations. Truely something unique in every regard. Their realism, imaging and sheer soundstage size etc is amazing. Happy Days. 5 1 2
evil c Posted May 16, 2024 Posted May 16, 2024 34 minutes ago, La scala said: CJ Premiers 5 Monoblocks have stunned my ears beyond expectations. Truely something unique in every regard. Their realism, imaging and sheer soundstage size etc is amazing. Happy Days. Big fan of Conrad Johnson! Looks to be a shop clearance setup there, hardly conducive to extracting the best of their sound signature! Here's a recent pic of my GAT preamplifier and ET250S power amp. Absolutely wonderful combo together! 4 1
La scala Posted May 16, 2024 Posted May 16, 2024 Heard the CJ premier 7b and 5 monos on Dynaudio C5 with spectacular results. Now a very proud owner of the Premier 5s. Had always really enjoyed the sound of CJ gear which appeared occasional at local Simply HIFi shop decades ago and also remember always being sadly way out of my league. The Supratek Pre has mated very well and so far can’t wait to go to work to endulge in a days worth of tunes with these on the La Scalas . the workhorse system. I like the open space effect on the sound in a large workshop, music floats with ease, plus the over realistic size of the soundstage , it compliments imaging well. Happy Days 2 1
artoly Posted May 18, 2024 Posted May 18, 2024 I usually enjoy a C/J Premier 350 (solid state, about 2004). It's an awesome power amp, even if I I am a bit biased. Currently anxiously awaiting repair after it stopped working. I tried to find a C/J pre to go with it, but lost the bidding on an ET5, and C/J's seem to be few and far between in NZ. 2
evil c Posted May 18, 2024 Posted May 18, 2024 33 minutes ago, artoly said: I usually enjoy a C/J Premier 350 (solid state, about 2004). It's an awesome power amp, even if I I am a bit biased. Currently anxiously awaiting repair after it stopped working. I tried to find a C/J pre to go with it, but lost the bidding on an ET5, and C/J's seem to be few and far between in NZ. The Conrad Johnson 350sa is an astonishingly good amplifier! However it is temperamental at times, needs to be fed absolute best quality source and connections. Plus never ever, unplug or plug in anything while it has power in its circuit- and that could be multiple minutes after you unplug it! I had one, that had a new transformer after the previous owner blew it up just connecting a device! I nearly blew it up the first day, fiddling around at the back with connections around it and knocked something . They can be touchy too with high gain, and will magnify any minor noise or hum to problematic levels at times. But l still regret selling mine, even with its idiosyncrasies! The ET3 or ET5 are great preamps, and come up semi regularly but you need to look wide. Keep an eye on Hifishark or Caxton Audio in Queensland are very good. Fair range of demo or trade in stock, plus brilliant repairer of CJ gear- only guy I'd trust with mine! 1
artoly Posted May 18, 2024 Posted May 18, 2024 Thanks for the feedback on the Prem 350 Clive. I confess I had to look up the ET250S Hybrid, but that looks awesome too (along with the GAT that I did know of). 7 minutes ago, evil c said: However it is temperamental at times, needs to be fed absolute best quality source and connections. 'Best' is perhaps out of my reach, so mine is more mid-fi.....ish, but not bad. Most music is from Antipodes S30/S40/S60 into a Gustard A26 DAC. 10 minutes ago, evil c said: They can be touchy too with high gain, and will magnify any minor noise or hum to problematic levels at times. I think I understand what you mean. At first I had it on a Naim pre, but my speakers were a bit too lively, plus I had to deal with a significant ground loop when paired with that pre (now sold). It still has a bit more background noise than any other amps I've tried, but tolerable in light of its other qualities. 15 minutes ago, evil c said: The ET3 or ET5 are great preamps, and come up semi regularly but you need to look wide. When the ET5 purchase efforts fell through I bought an ARC Ref 3, which does seem to play quite nicely with the C/J (To my ears). Fortunately it also came with a Ref 110 power amp, so I still have some reasonable sounds while waiting for news on the 350 repairs. The ARC power amp is nice, but does not quite have the grip and control of my speakers compared to the C/J. I'll continue to keep an eye out for C/J pre's as well. Incidentally, I did talk to C/J a while back about buying from the US and they said they would be happy to take delivery , service it, convert the voltage, and forward....but I never quite got their with that plan either.
evil c Posted May 18, 2024 Posted May 18, 2024 6 minutes ago, artoly said: Thanks for the feedback on the Prem 350 Clive. I confess I had to look up the ET250S Hybrid, but that looks awesome too (along with the GAT that I did know of). 'Best' is perhaps out of my reach, so mine is more mid-fi.....ish, but not bad. Most music is from Antipodes S30/S40/S60 into a Gustard A26 DAC. I think I understand what you mean. At first I had it on a Naim pre, but my speakers were a bit too lively, plus I had to deal with a significant ground loop when paired with that pre (now sold). It still has a bit more background noise than any other amps I've tried, but tolerable in light of its other qualities. When the ET5 purchase efforts fell through I bought an ARC Ref 3, which does seem to play quite nicely with the C/J (To my ears). Fortunately it also came with a Ref 110 power amp, so I still have some reasonable sounds while waiting for news on the 350 repairs. The ARC power amp is nice, but does not quite have the grip and control of my speakers compared to the C/J. I'll continue to keep an eye out for C/J pre's as well. Incidentally, I did talk to C/J a while back about buying from the US and they said they would be happy to take delivery , service it, convert the voltage, and forward....but I never quite got their with that plan either. The ET250S is a slightly warmer sound , but not quite as dynamic of course! You're certainly on the right path with the gear you've got currently, Wow, Audio Research amps are a viable competitor- so no great suffering while you wait!
Nickelle Posted May 21, 2024 Posted May 21, 2024 Omg I need to apply to join as well then, I didn’t know it existed. I’ve been running my CJ MV60SE for over three years I’m guessing. Prior to me owning it the original owner sent it to the importer and had it converted to triode mode from push pull. I’m running KT120 & PsVane Tll and it runs beautifully through my Harbeth Super HL5 Plus. 5 1
jon96789 Posted May 21, 2024 Posted May 21, 2024 Anyone knows what has to be done to convert the MV60 from ultralinear to triode mode? I have been trying to contact CJ in the U.S. for a few months and no one answers the phone and e-mails are unanswered.
Nickelle Posted May 21, 2024 Posted May 21, 2024 (edited) Jon, I was in contact with CJ in the USA just last year so you should be able to contact them. My CJ MV60SE was converted by the then Australian importers https://www.caxtonaudio.com.au/ but that is probably of little use to you there in the USA. Try Catherine at service@conradjohnson.com Catherine Celis conrad-johnson design, inc. 2800K Dorr Ave Fairfax, VA 22031 P: 703.698.8581 Good Luck, Nick Edited May 21, 2024 by Nickelle 1
Recommended Posts