Conrad Johnson amps: premier 12, premier 8,LP275M

Hi Rocc

Based on your question.
Absolutely no question a pair of prem8a's will give you the added authority and power in the lower octaves. It will also be better sounding in every other parameter compared to the prem12's whilst maintaining cj's famous sound signature you like from the 12's.
No doubt the lp275's will be also better, however I have not heard them personally so do not want to categorically state how they will sound.

I have had my prem8's upgraded with cj's Teflon cap upgrade. Based on this upgrade vs the original prem8a you get a dramatically quieter amp, better dynamics and a more pure transparent sound. I would expect/hope the lp275's would be better again.

I have had owned the prem350 amp twice. It sounds like good ss, nothing more and the prem8a's are comfortably better sounding IMO. It is also quite noisy as it is very high gain.

As far as different tubes go in my system.
I have Kt120's, winged C 6550's and Tung Sol 6550's for my cj prem8a's. 16 each of the buggers.

My preference in sound quality is in reverse order to the above.
The TS 6550 reissues have superior upper frequencies in detail and texture and a nice tight bass.
The Winged C 6550's are great all rounders that do nothing wrong and a most things right.
The KT120 is like a big Cadillac V8. Nice spacious sound with good bass weight. Always seems to be cruising but for me in my system lacks the speed and transparency of the other two that gives music that up and go.

I don't think you can go wrong with either the prem8 or lp275's. Your choice dependant on budget. I have think the prem8a's look better :-)

BTW, the prem16 is such a sweet pre amp :-)

Cheers

the classic romantic sound with a premier 12 is mostly gone when tubed with chryo kt 120s instead of stock regular 6550c's. regular kt 120s are about one third of the change.

the famous house sound has been gone for several years. the last great amp was the cj mv 125. i have been looking for one for a while. i have heard this amp drive a pair of magnepans.

source is a CEC TL 0 + a JADIS JS1 CONVERTER and all the cables are by NIRVANA SX LTD.
Actually more looking on an hybrid amp (best of both world)

I am using CJ Premier 12's with a Modwright 9.0SE preamp and Gallo Ref3 speakers. I was also looking for a bit more low-end power. What is working for me really well now is to add a REL Storm subwoofer driven by the speaker-level outputs of the CJ Prem 12's. Importantly, I have the low-pass filter on the REL turned all the way down (begins rolling off at 22 Hz). Also, I have the REL positioned in the near-field (much closer to the listening position than the main speakers). I am VERY happy with this set up. The bass is strong, fast and well integrated. The glorious sound of the CJ's comes through unpolluted.

I had the Parsifal Encores, driven by a pair of Prem 8's
back in say the mid 90's. Pre was 16ls and then Art, both
series 1's. The Parsifal to me is a fairly easy load, in
comparison with the usual suspects such as Thiel,Avalon..
I felt that the 8's were adequate in power, but I would
not have wanted to live with any less. I actually at times
felt that I wanted more. I think that what I really was
was looking for was a more controlled bass, w/ better
articulation. I steal Tim's descriptions of what the 8/12
series lacked in comparison to the newer CJ, which I have
no experience with. I did try a Class A Accuphase amp,
which did have much better bass control than the 8. I kept
the 8 and sold the Accuphase though. I preferred the CJ
in the mid/upper frequencies. IMO, I would try and get my
hands on an LPM 140, and see how you like it. If its the ticket but you want more power, get the big 275. You may
want to also consider a VTL 750. I run them in Triode w/
350 watts, plenty for my Vandersteen 5A's. Nice system,
what is your source/sources and cabling.

I had the Premier 12 + 16LS combo for a few years. I really liked it. The 12s offer that classic warm caramel CJ sound from before the turn of the century. But yeah, they are a bit less articulated and slow on the bottom end than more modern CJ gear.

One way to address this is to have a competent CJ modder replace the 12s hardwired power cords with IEC power connectors. Then use them with the power cord of your choice. Alternatively you could have those spindly stock cords replaced with something else hardwired in place, but know what you want because (obviously) that approach means it is not easy to swap. (fwiw, Shunyata PCs work quite well with CJ amps.) I'm confident you will be pleasantly surprised - if not shocked - at just how much more punch and weight your Premier 12s can deliver.

Otherwise I agree with Chuck. The 8s are nice, but more of the same. The Premier 140 has more low end authority, but is tonally more neutral. The LPXXX series goes back in time with slightly more warmth, but likewise will have more punch and drive. The latter two amps also benefit from power cord upgrades and quite remarkably so. If you would consider solid state the Premier 350 is most excellent.

Tim

For more bass authority you may want to consider the new ET250s which is a new hybrid from cj. I think with the premier 8's you will get more of the same. And yes I believe the later cj products have moved closer toward neutrality. The premier 350 ss would be an excellent choice as well. But you appear to be set on sticking with a tube amp. By the way you have a nice set-up. I too have a 16lsII but with a premier 350ss amp driving Thiel 3.6's.

Chuck