CJ's New ART88 Preamp

No doubt it is a great preamp as it is the replacement for the GAT II   At  $28000 , I’ll pass…..

Try the "Audio Shark" forums. The members tend to play at a much higher price level than are typically found here.

Hi GRK, Thanks

Just checked. Nothing there yet, but appreciate the help!

I just bought one to replace my GATII.  Listening to it as I write this note.  It is only 1 day old and in my experience will require at least 200 hours of break-in before meaningful listening will be instructive.  Right out of the box it sounds warmer than the GAT, but somewhat more restricted.  Smooth and quiet, but so was the GAT.  Amp is a c-j 27A, source at the moment is VPI HW40, SoundSmith Experion, phono stage is also c-j  TEA 1, series III, speakers are Sony SSAR2, subs are REL 212SX.  I will run the pre with my tuner 24/7 for a couple of weeks and then give it a critical listen.  Then write here again if there is interest.

Regards,

Bill

The first thing I heard on mine in the first 20 hours was the separation of instruments with each note seemingly hanging in space. I had broken in a GatS2 before that and this was different. 

It stayed like that pretty much till around the 200 hour mark when the sound filled out and became more dynamic. (I'm using a CJ ART150 stereo amp)

Would like to hear what you experience.