Help needed.


OK - I was originally going to purchase a C.J. Premier 18 Pre-Amp based on the suggestions of a local high end audio dealer. This Sunday - I brought back my test disks to listen and my purchase decision had changed drastically.

The Premier 18 sounded fabulous on the mids - warm and sweet. However, the highs were a little bright for my taste - almost harsh of Reference Recordings "Pomp and Pipes" The bass also seemed lacking quite a bit on Reference Recordings "Tutti" disk - Stravinski Fire Bird.

Next we moved on to a Krell KRC-3 - while the Bass was more present, it still didn't feel right. The highs were strident and ringy - especially on "Pomp and Pipes" and Wynton Marsalis - "Music for Baroque Trumpet" (a 24 bit recording).

However...we then hooked up a C.J. PV-14L and the magic started happening. The mids were warm and sweet - just the way I like them. But now the bass (esp. the Bass Drum slams in the Fire Bird) - felt penetrating (how the Tube CJ did this better than the Krell I don't know). The highs were also very nice - in fact this pre made me want to listen to more and more.

So my questions - what have you all heard about the CJ PV-14L? Am I making a mistake? Should I listen to other pre's before making the plunge into tubes? What should I know about tubes before making the plunge - as I have no 'tube' experience at all.

Any help from the group will be appreciated!

Erik
ndmaitre
Sounds like you like the classic tube sound more than analytical sound. Assuming that the rest of your system and your room are similar in sonic character to the demo system you listened to, I think you should follow your ears and go with the unit that best communicates the music to you. Maybe the dealer will let you borrow the unit to make sure it works in your system? Don't worry about tube equipment with C-J, their stuff is reliable, well-supported and no problem to maintain other than changing tubes every few years as the manufacturer recommends.
Welcome to the world of the glass bottles Ndmaitre. I have a all tube rig presently and thought about going back to solid state. Alas I don't think so. I will however be changing my digital gear. My dac is a little behind and will be upgrading in the solid state mode. The rest stays tube and I hope your C-J purchase brings you a lot of musical days and nights.
buy the cj and laugh all the way home. it will be a great little preamp for you. also why not try a tube amp as well. you will be hooked for sure then. you also do not need near as much power when you run tubes vs ss. welcome aboard.
CJ makes good tube equipment. There are other companies out there that are also good. It's up to your ears. DON'T BE AFRAID OF TUBES, THEY WON'T BITE! I FIND THEM USER FRIENDLY.
Good luck.
I have listened to several Different Pr-Amps and when I heard the CJ premier 16MKII, that became my new Pre-Amp. Sound is great. This tube unit has very wide full sound stage with deep controled base. This tells me tubes can do it. Not sure how, but is for real. If you like the CJ sound may want to check out the 16MKII as well. Good luck