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If I can't afford a new Conrad Johnson pre amp...

Hej

I'm planning to buy a Audion Sterling Plus (KT88 SET) power amp and a tube pre amp. A friend of mine told me that I should look for a used Conrad Johnson. He said Conrad Johnson has the sound he thinks I will like; warm, musical and liquid.
Anyway, a used Conrad Johnson pre amp is not something you easyily find in Sweden. So...what should I look for instead? (and if I had the money to buy a new, it has to be from abroad)
I've been told that E.A.R pre amps are more analytic and SS sounding and Rogue somewhere between E.A.R and Conrad Johnson.

Any thoughts?
simna
noromance's avatar
noromance
9,705 posts
 
Isn't there a volume control on your poweramp? If one source, forego the preamp.
oddiofyl's avatar
oddiofyl
3,702 posts
 
I have a conrad - johnson Classic 2SE... it is a great sounding pre.    I love it , they can be had reasonably .   It is void of any features like balance or remote but it sounds phenominal for the money.   Quicksilver Audio makes great equipment for the money, they make 2 tube pres that are affordable.  One is remote the other is not.  I have a pair of their amps and their new headphone amp and the price/performance ratio is hard to beat.   
decooney
1,942 posts
 
@oddiofyl 1,211 posts03-18-2020 5:03pmI have a conrad - johnson Classic 2SE... it is a great sounding pre.   I love it , they can be had reasonably .  It is void of any features like balance or remote but it sounds phenominal for the money.  Quicksilver Audio makes great equipment for the money, they make 2 tube pres that are affordable. One is remote the other is not. I have a pair of their amps and their new headphone amp and the price/performance ratio is hard to beat.  

---------------------------------------------------------
re: QS,
+1, with matched vintage input and driver tubes and ultra nice coupling caps in the amps (shhh) competes with most anything at `~2-3x the price. :) 
simna OP
165 posts
 
@noromance 
Yes there is a volume control on the power amp. It will surely sound OK, but it will sound so much better with a good pre amp.

@oddiofyl  and @decooney 
I'm sure Conrad Johnson Classic 2SE sounds good. How good I will never know. Ads I have found say; "Doesn't post to Sweden".
phd
1,302 posts
 
All Conrad Johnson preamps sound pretty darn good even the entry level including both solid state and tube. So if you can't afford the more expensive models try the less expensive ones, you will be happy.
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