Bigkidz,
I have had the CJ Premier 16LS and the ART preamp and let me tell you this. The ART is in a different league than the 16LS. The ART does everything the 16LS does on a much bigger and more lifelike scale. I ultimately moved to a SS preamp and amps because I listen so much that retubing the tube gear was costing quite a bit a year.
Hope this helps,
Johnny