Yes, the older CJs and a few if not all ARC preamps might be described as phat or a bit lush but I never felt that a bad thing necessarily, opaque as well on some of the budget CJs of that era. I have a vintage CJ PV9a that has been extensively upgraded and transformed. I have owned and listened to many including previously CJ, ARC, CAT, Supratek but this one is just so much more throughly enjoyable plus I really like it's phono stage. Lush and maybe a bit too much bloom for some but also very detailed and dynamic, huge Soundstage on appropriate recordings with totally believable timbre and highs that are real and airey, piano sounds like a piano. I will say this, when non audiophile friends visit we end up listening quite a bit more because this unit in my setup serves the music and transcends any discussion about adjectives, people just enjoy listening to music. The point being that how music affects one emotionally from playback is the real mettle of a component/system.
Some of the pres mentioned are SOTA designs and quite expensive and i'm sure stellar performers, that CJ classic is not but reasonably priced. I haven't heard it but imagine with the SE cap upgrade might prove to be good enough to meet your needs Robertsong. The more money typically greater power supplies and much better dynamic performance. Also important compatability of the output impedance with your amp.
Good luck!
