Conrad Johnson and Herron comparisons

I concur with jjss49 regarding tubes and the ET5.  I am using a Siemens EC88/6dj8.  Not only does it sound excellent it is a workhorse.

I think CJ had a bad batch of EH 6922's and I went through several.  

Let me chime in again. First, good discussion. To clarify the ET5 does not burn through its tube. CJ initially shipped that preamp with an EH6922 and that tube by its nature would get noisy faster than other tubes. So, jjss49's suggestion to replace the EH is correct. I had a 1962 CCA in my ET5 for 2 year and then tried a NOS Mazda 7308 which sounded even better. That tube has been in my ET5 for about 1 year now. CJ currently ships the ET7S2 and GAT with Philips PCC88 tubes, the US equivalent is a 7DJ8. The Philips is a more expensive and better sounding tube than the EH and should last 3000 hours. CJ has a significant stock of both of those tubes. As for CJ buying up NOS 7 volt tubes, Jeff has been buying a handful of different tubes to try out. Not anything significant. And, I still go back and forth between my CJ and Herron equipment. 

And don’t let that magical CJ Premier 2 slip away - an important bit of gear on the long upward arc of Audio 

loved mine, I let her go many many moons ago to fund some University, no regrets but super fond memories 

Good input @cellorover, I have also received a Philips PC88 from CJ, sound good and more reliable than EH.  My Siemens sounds a little better through the midrange and top end and after probably 1000 hours dead quiet.

I agree with you on the EH6922, noisy after a few hours for me.

From a different angle .......I like CJ's website - offers a level of transparency with regards to upgrades, cost of upgrades, what these entail etc.... have to say the same for Rogue Audio....
I really like the form factor of the Herron products - very functional, with numerous useful design features. I'm disappointed that their website does not more clearly discuss upgrades. Additionally, upgrades are not offered on legacy products!, this came as a surprise to me - this is a big negative for folks left with older components who haven't upgraded- leaving their products less worthy of resale.