Conrad Johnson pv2 coming. What amp??

[rromeo923]

I made an impulse buy today. A CJ pv2 preamp. I will have tomorrow. I currently have a Parasound HCA-750 that I will be pairing it with. I am wondering about impedance and gain matching. I dont even really know what that means but I have been reading that this does matter.

If anyone can explain it and what I should be looking for in an Amplifier to mate w/the CJ pv2 that would be great.

I was thinking maybe a CJ MF-2300 (like I heard at Polkfest and cant get it out of my head). Taking all suggestions.

Thanks!

[dkg999]

Your HCA-750 is pretty neutral sounding so it's going to respond well to whatever tubes the PV-2 has in it. Unless the HCA-750 doesn't have enough power for your speakers, I would spend the money on tube and capacitor upgrades in the PV-2 (if it needs them). Once you've been able to spend some time with the PV-2/HCA-750 combo I would then look at what you find lacking and use that to define what amp to upgrade to.

[rromeo923]

Got the PV-2 today. Very very nice! Better instrumentation delineation, better bass, fuller sound. I like.

Still may be looking at a better amp though. Who knows. Fun stuff.

[rromeo923]

Blown away with this preamp!! Incredible.

[brgman]

Very nice Rick
Is his your first tuber?

[rromeo923]

Mike,

I have an integrated Yaqin MC-10L which is very good. I also have a Yaqin MS-12b pre and phonopre that I was running w/my parasound HCA 750a. So I have had some experience with tubes and have been loving it.
I swapped out the Yaqin pre for the CJ pre. I immediately noticed more bass and better instrument delineation. I was very happy and pleased.

Now the plot thickens. I couldnt help myself and I just yesterday purchased a Conrad Johnson MF 2200. I got home and swapped out the Parasound for the new/used CJ amp. First thing I noticed was MUCH more bass. Actually too much bass i thought, too mushy. I also noticed that the highs seemed too rolled off and the music was lifeless. In addition my tweeters sounded harsh. Crap! I just made a $800 mistake. Well I continued to listen and all the time remembering what I had heard at Polkfest. Well maybe, I thought my SDA 1C's are the weak link. The LSIM707's that I heard at Polkfest mustve been what I was really liking.

Well after about an hour of listening something amazing happened. I am guessing the tubes in the pre warmed up and/or I was getting used to the CJ sound or maybe even the amp warmed up (does that happen??). Anyway the mushy bass tightened up. The sound came all together and there was (hard to describe) a 3 dimensional FEEL to the music. The highs were perfect, not harsh but sweet. The guitar tones were incredible. I am really having a hard time getting what I heard and felt across here.

Bottom line at the end of the night I was ecstatic with my purchases of both CJ's. I have NEVER heard my SDA 1C's sound so good. In fact I may have never heard any system sound so good.

Back to your original question. Yes I have heard tubes, but never like this. What really surprised me was the incredible transformation that took place about an hour in. I have experienced better sound with my other tube equipment after a warm up period but nothing so drastic, going from disappointment and not good sound to euphoria and indescribably good sound.

I am even considering quitting my job, leaving my wife and just sitting around and listening to music all day and night!!!

Fun times!!

[brgman]

Sounds like you are on a bender.Nice!
As far as tube listening i am of the school of thought that you need a 30 minute or more warmup before listening.Also you can certainly affect the detail,bass,etc by rolling different tubes maybe.If they are original tubes it's hard to know how old they are and how they were treated.
Another tweak i find very helpful for my stuff at least is Herbies tube dampeners.
I just bought more for my amp and had an immediate improvement just in the blacker background.I have read good things about the Yaqin but i believe you are at a whole new level with the CJ stuff.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Dared 2000A and recommend it to anyone starting out but when i moved to Joule and Rogue equipment it was just amazing.
Chances are you are going to hear things you've never heard before.
Enjoy the ride!

[rromeo923]

A Bender indeed! Lol!

One more purchase this week and then I am done for awhile. Need to sell some of my speakers etc now.
Getting a NOS Stanton 881s cartridge w/D81s stylus. Looking forward to hearing how that sounds on Turntable.

I have momentarily swapped out my SDA 1C's for a pair of AR4x. Very nice sound for lower volume listening. I find that I have to have the volume up on my SDA 1C's to really bring out their best.

[rromeo923]

Hmmmm- These AR4x speakers sound damn good!!

[brgman]

I find that I have to have the volume up on my SDA 1C's to really bring out their best.

Um,so what's the problem??

[rromeo923]

Um,so what's the problem??

Wife.... Sometimes it is even my kids, namely my youngest 18 yr old. A real kick in the nuts when your kids tell you to turn down the music. Didnt see that coming.

On a side note I turned up the volume a bit w/the AR4x speakers and I am really impressed with the sound. I got these about 6months ago and the cabs are beat up and not so pretty and I never really listened to them till today. I am thinking cabinet restoration and keeping these.

They dont do what the SDA 1c's can do but they can do some things that the SDA cant!

2 Channel!

[rromeo923]

Couple of pics

[outlander]

Romeo,
Nice score on the PV-2. I’m very pleased with the PV-1 that I owned for years. I’m currently using the PV-1 only for the phone section and have absolutely no interest in swapping it out for any other preamp regardless of price. I hear many say the PV-2 is a significant improvement over the PV-1, if that’s the case I’m sure you’ll be happy with your purchase for many years. As far as an amplifier I would highly recommend a 45W CJ MV-55. There is a nice one on Audiogon for under $1K (no affiliation).
Regards,
O

[rromeo923]

Dont tempt me! I would definitely like to hear a CJ tube amp. The combo I have working now is doing such a great job that I wont be buying anything else for awhile. Famous last words!

[ErasmusBDragon]

Save up for a CJ tube amp.

[polyglot]

Glad to hear you are experiencing the CJ sound.

I have owned the PV7/10A/10AL/11AL/12AL/14L/Premier14 and now the CT-5 and it has been great fun. The PV12A, IMO, has the best values for a modern design preamp w phone stage. It is less bloomy than its predecessors, closer to BAT house sound.

Either you use the tubey sounding MOSFET solid states like the MF2300, or the more precise and excellent sounding MF2250A or the MF2500A (I owned the latter, grab one if it comes under your radar), or the affordable MV50/75 or the still great sounding Premier series tubes, you can not go wrong. These are some examples of great value / money models. If money is not an issue, go for the ART/GAT series.

For vintage gear, as mentioned before, check or best replace/upgrade the caps (do not use electrolytes), esp in the power supply section and, as always, tube roll with NOS tubes.

[soundfreak1]

+1 to brgman i always let my main rig (see below) warm up fpr 30 min before listening! Ive learned it makes a big diff to the sound. And the antisapation is good for the heart as well.(LOL)