Conrard-Johnson CT5 tube rolling?

Thanks for the referrals, guys!

Vhiner, would you care to share your experience? I recently snapped up a CT5.

Polyglot,

Congrats on the CT5! It's a marvelous preamp. I bet you got an amazing deal now that the ET 5 is out.

I decided to stick with CJ's supplied Sovtek tubes because the majority of posts I've read around the forums and boards indicate the expensive alternatives for the CT5 don't yield much bang for the buck. I'd love to hear if you have a different experience. How do you like the unit so far?

I *do* have one tip: Try a Hifi Tuning Supreme fuse in place of the stock fuse supplied by CJ. The fuse is accessible from the rear and relatively easy to swap out. Let the new fuse burn in for about 50 hours and then reverse the direction. You'll hear a difference and then you can know which direction you prefer. The fuse runs around $55 and is worth every penny, IMHO. I also use a Shunyata Python CX power cord (*far* better soundstage and transparency than the stock cord).

Hi Vhiner
Am curious about your comment that CJ service recommends changing the tubes in a CT5 after 1500 hrs. My CT 5 is 5+ yrs old with 3000+ hrs with the original tubes and it sounds sublime !
Am I missing something ?
Cheers
Pradeep

Sunnyboy1956,

I'm tempted to just say, "Yup!" LOL.

Ed, the very model of modern major tech guy at conrad-johnson, has told me several times that the tubes will operate well into the 3,000 hour range but that the sonic degradation at that point will be obvious if you replace them. When I replaced mine after 2,000 I was floored. A pair runs $135 right now and is *well* worth the price, IMHO. Tube degradation occurs very slowly and, therefore, seldom noticed until one begins to seriously fade.

When I replaced mine I fell in love with preamp all over again....gorgeous bloom, sparkling highs, prodigious lows, etc.