What happened to CAT?

Thank goodness Ken is still in business. He has always flown beneath the radar ( somewhat intentionally I am sure) but his gear is absolutely SOTA...IMHO. Thank you gwalt for the update.

Yeay. :)

So can someone tell me about their experiences with CAT preamps vs. CJ or modern AR? I haven't had a chance to hear them very often, so comments from others would be welcome.

Best,

E

CAT was at RMAF 2017 . In a room with Acoustic Zen . CAT had monblock amps with a pre . The owner of CAT was a nice host . Seemed knowledgeable about many musicians and their recordings . The sound in that room tempted me to buy a pair of the Acoustic zen speakers . Was very close but ultimately did not pull the trigger .

Ok Erik_squires...I will have a shot at this answer....Basically, and strongly IMHO, comparing a CAT to the CJ or modern AR is going to come down to one basic aspect...Dynamics! The CAT is almost unbeatable in this regard...why, I believe due to the immense power supply the CAT enjoys. The CJ's and modern ARC's that I have heard don't quite match it....
Otherwise all are good preamps, but for me, the CAT is king. I could live with any of them, but so long as Ken Stevens is still 'sharpening' his design, it will be #1 on my list.

Thanks Davey!! That's very interesting. :)

I always think of CJ as more colorful in the pre's, but dynamic in the amps.

I hope to participants I did not come across as having an axe to grind. I'm just thinking about my next upgrades. :)

Best,

E