Conrad-Johnson Premier 11a-a good used amp?

It has been a little while since I heard an 11a, but I was VERY impressed with it--it sounded great. Built well, CJ can still service them, and represent essentially "free" hifi. By that I mean that if you get one and don't like it, you can almost certainly sell it for what you own it for.

I've not heard it compared to either amp you mention, though I've heard the McCormack. I'd agree that it's closer to "new school."

Best,

Bob

The CJ 11-A is an EXCELLENT amp!

I owned one and loved it. I was driving a pair of Thiel 3.6's and it wasn't quite enough power for them hence the reason for selling. However mid to high end detail was supberb with only the bass end lacking a bit. I listen to primarily classical (symphonic and chamber pieces) and female jazz vocals at moderate volumes. Still sorry I sold it!!!!!!! And as naimfan mentioned it is basically free hifi. I would say go for it especially if your speakers are relatively efficient.

Chuck

Very natural sound, very lovely, a bit warm sounding, well built. VERY popular in its day and a classic. Make sure that your speakers are very efficient, or the room is small, and don't surround it with a lot of warm sounding gera as it's already warm. You want transparent cables and preamp to let the CJ present the beauty of the music to you.

BTW I usually prefer KT88's over 6550's but in the 11a and premier 12's (monoblock version) I ended up preferring the 6550. I find 6550's more neutral than KT88's and again, the 11a is already on the warm side.

The newer MV60SE might be good competition for the 11a (even that it's not considerd part of their "Premier" line). I don't see these often used though, or at the same price point.

Art

I have been buying and selling and trying lots of gear over the past decade or so in an attempt to speed up my learning curve as my compulsive obsession with audio has infected my soul. I am , at this stage of developement having a hard time finding anything that satisfies my need for musicality other than CJ gear. I am trying different products in their line , past models as well as present production models and am finding this company has something special going on within the minds of Bill and Lew. We have all heard of CJ and how its tube line is " magical " in the sense that it is warm and involving . I have found it involving in a way I had not expected but not warm and colored by any means. The soundstage simply sounds right to me . Instant contact with the musical notes effortlessly draws me in and for the first time in years i have forgot about occupying my time analyzing the synergy of my chain and now let the music flow through me. For me at least , i have found my company of choice and have ordered their top of the line preamp and pair of tube amps from them . The end is closing in on me at least for now and i couldnt be happier .