CJ Premier 10 - still competitive?


I am back to tubes after 6 years of almost pure SS gear. I started buying a great pair of CJ Premier 8s which are sounding terrific with the rest of my system. Now I am facing an opportunity to get a Premier 10 preamp to replace my very nice sounding ML No. 26. I will greatly appreciate your feedback on what to expect if I move there.

Regards,

Fernando
128x128flg2001
The premier 10 is a fabulous pre-amp. It is simiular to the 17, save for the lack of a remote. The body is different, but the electronics are very similar. It is a great way to get into high end tube pre's at a very reasonable cost. Look on a A'gon and they show up for less than $1200, a very good price.
I'd pay the extra money for a Premier 14, currently running around $1500. But then I have one and would never go back to a non-remote preamp. Good luck.
I am familiar with Premier 10,14 and 17 and my first choice
is the 14 with an after market ac cord,all those CJ are good candidate for,if you go with the 14 and want a special one just let me know.It is 1 hour job with a Dremmel to replace the captive ac cord with a IEC chassis mount.
i owned a premier 10 by CJ, upgrade to audio research LS 25 and then finish with a reference one...
i feel the CJ 10 is a lot less silent in back ground and i think your premiere eight deserve a lot better pre amp....
LS 25 was a tad less musical but more accurate but it is not in the same league if we talk about money on the used market...
if you ever go for audio research pre amp you could put in NOS tubes like amperex bugle boy to add more music
i like a lot CONRAD JOHNSON product because my amp is an EVOLUTION 2000 and it make a pretty good match with my REF ONE, i share acuracy and musicality
so good luck in your shopping and hope this help....
The PR14 is basically a PR10 with a remote. It uses the same circuit topology, a single triode buffered by a cathode follower and sounds about the same. This is a tried a true design that is still used by numerous manufacturers so I would not worry about the age. If you can live without a remote and the price is good I would try the 10.

The PR17 is a different beast, it has the same composite triode topology as the 16, ART, and ACT.