Conrad Johnson PV10AL Tube & Polarity Questions?


I don't have the owners manual for mine but I thought I read somewhere that the CJ's invert polarity? Is this true because it sure sounds that way in my system. I also would like to experiment with changing some tubes around. I listen to Rock & Roll. I have a pair of Tylo Monitors, Mc Cormack DNA-1, Philips 963SA with DH labs cable. I have never swapped tubes & have no idea what should be in there or is what in there at the moment. Where do I begin?
fishwater
Hi Fishwater,
I have a pv10al that I bought new I do not recall seeing in the manual that it inverts polarity. I also own a premier 11a and it had a seperate paper the size of the manual warning of polarity inversion as well as a note in the manual. I will check to see again, but I'm sure it does not invert. I listen to a lot of types of music but I do prefer music that drives and has punch lower down. A friend lent me a pair of Mullard 12au7 tubes and that started my quest to purchase a pair. They sound a lot warmer than the standard philips tubes and seem to push the lower mids up a bit. I think this helps rock for two reasons one being that most rock tends to be poorly recorded and over prossesed and can sound harsh at best. Theese tubes are killer. Pay the extra bucks and you will I'm sure never regret the $$. Let me know what you think if you do it.

ps I have my pv10al for sale and I have a pair of tubes that are not even broken in yet as well as 3 other pairs. I have listed them all together as one pakage so if you are interested I will sell them.

Tthat is a great little pre amp and I'm not sure replacing mine is the best idea but when I get my new one (premier 14) I guess I'll know.
My pv10al owner's manual did come with the seperate sheet of paper (red, I believe) warning of phase inversion. Your dna does not invert phase, so swap the neg. and pos. leads on your speakers. As always, let your ears be the final judge. As for tubes, I've tried Phillips, Mullard, Amperex, and GE. Even within a brand name, there are variations (military spec, etc.) Even in my modest system, I can hear tube-related differences much more clearly than, for example, swapping different cables. Right now I'm running Mullards, but we probably like different things. My advice would be to buy a bunch of cheapo, used tubes from ebay until you find a set you like--then buy the same tubes from a reputable NOS tube dealer. And do unplug your pre before messing around with tubes.
I did look in my pv10al box and low and behold there was the polarity warning, and shersta you are right it is red!