Conrad Johnson Premier 14 vs. 17LS Pre-Amp

I upgraded from a 14 to a 16. With the 16
there was better defined bass and more
musical detail. The art, 16 and 17 all
use the same design and parts. The difference
is the number of 6922 tubes they use.
CJ rates the performance as art 100%,
16 90% of an art and 17 as 80% of an art.
If I had to make the choice I would pick
the 17 over the 14.

I concur with Welcher. The 17LS is somewhat livelier than the 14, but still has the same outstanding soundstage and presence. However, a number of folks have posted previously that they were able to achieve the same thing using NOS tubes in the 14's, and preferred their results to the stock 17. However, using the CJ prescribed tubes with both, I think the 17 is a far better preamp.