Pre-Amp sound similar to Conrad Johnson


Is there a preamp outhere that sound like conrad johnson warm smooth and sweet but still have the detail without sounding muddy but using xlr interconnect any info will be greatly appreciated.
goone
I had the same issues I believe you are having with the CJ pre. They had the warmest sweetest midrange but to me sounded a bit slow anf muddy. The best compromises I have found are Blue Circle (musical with detail) and BAT (warm with speed). Good luck!
You might also want to look into the Atma Sphere preamps. I understand the less expensive one is a relative bargain.
I assume you are talking about the CJ ART unit as that is a transconductance amplifier? We build a unit that uses a fully balanced folded cascode transconductance amplifier using no global feedback, but done in FETs instead of tubes....
The Blue Circle 21 is good (although I have only auditioned it in an all BC setup and not mine), as are the Classe preamps, as far as warmth and musicality are concerned. Did you want tube or ss? However, my favorites are still the McIntoshes. They have the most impressive soundstage, sweetness, and clarity (awesome noise specs). I just love my little C712 - it is addicting. I temporarily swapped it out with the classe c35 and still like the 712 better (although to be fair, the c35 is cheaper). I like simple preamps. Besides, I love the Mc glass and knobs rather than pitiful little buttons so many pres have. The classe remote is much nicer than the Mcs but the sound is what I am most interested in. The XLR connections make a noteable difference but it is tough to compare directly with RCA since the cables are inherently different. I can't for the life of me figure out why CJ won't offer xlr. Oh well... Anyway, you cannot go wrong with any of these IMO and which to get will ultimately be personal taste. (with the C712, I use McIntosh mc7100, Sony ES, Paradigm Reference 100.2, all MIT cables).
I have an Air Tight Pre that sounds very transparent and liquid, not at all muddy. I'm pairing it with a c-j 11A amp and the combo sounds great. Happy listening!