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ConradJohnson: Tubes or S/State for Maggies.

I have a CJ Premier 10 (Tube) pre amp that I am getting serviced by CJ factory and a pair of Maggie MG IIIA's that are at Magnepan getting rebuilt. I got these both locally and haven't really listened much up till now. They needed work.
All I need is a power amp to drive this second system.
I am looking at the CJ Premier 11A or the newer 2500 solid state. I want to stay with CJ stuff as this is in our living room and the WAF for componants is important (cant believe she has agreed to the Maggies!).
Room is a resonable 16*18, 8ft ceilings, mostly classical, jazz. CD player will be either a Naim CD5 or a Linn Genki, depending which sounds best. Cables will be purchased in the next week or two.
I have no CJ dealer locally, so any experience or insights from Agon members???

Thanks
Peter
peteinvicta1
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cjlundgren
33 posts
 
I used a cj MF2300 MOSFET amp on my Maggie 3.5r's for seven years before switching late last year to a pair cj premier 12's. I agree with Steelhead above - tubes are where it's at. You may suffer somewhat in dynamics, but, for my money too, the tube sound mates well with the maggies. As a matter of fact, long ago I used the original cj MV75 tube amp on a pair of Maggie IIIA's with great results. Go for the tube amp - you won't regret it!
cellorover
417 posts
 
Well, there you have it. CJ is a real option. However, we are split between tubes and ss...the same old story. Nothing wrong with that. It comes down to your inner self this time. The consensus is that you cannot go wrong with a CJ amp and your speakers.

For what's it worth, the one thing that I noticed about the MF 2250A vs. MV 60 was the noise level. The 2250A is dead quite, more so than the MV 60. If you can get this with the Premiers, then you will have a difficut choice. The MF is simply silent and pure.
peteinvicta1 OP
22 posts
 
I love this forum.... 3 votes for solid state, 3 votes for tubes! Nothing is straightforward in this hobby, that's for sure. I think I am going to get a 2250 or 2500 and see how it sounds, and do a comparison with a pair of Quad II forty monos driving the maggies; (I use these in my main set up driving Quad 988's). That should give me an idea how the tubes compare to the s/state and take it from there.
Thanks for all the opinions; I have a clearer idea of what I want to do as a result of your input.
Cheers,
Peter
setter
12 posts
 
I am using a pair of MF 2500's with a PV-9 pre-amp to drive a pair of ML sl3's. The CJ amps replaced a pair of ARC D-130s. To my ears the CJ is warmer and more musical than the ARC's. I am very happy with the results, but if and when I change again (I'm sure I will, I always do), it will be to CJ tubes.
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