Jtinn and Etbaby, thanks for your comments. I have heard from others that the CJ Premier 11a is a very muscial and engaging tube amp but lacking a little bit in the bass. Etbaby, thanks for your suggestions on the KT88's. I've been meaning to try a set for some time now. I don't want to alter the sound of this system too much. I like it a lot. Etbaby, its interesting that we both arrived at similar setups.
I found that the CJ PV-14 tube preamp with the Premier 11a seemed to roll off the low bass and treble somewhat. The LS16 is a bit more neutral and allowed me to regain some of the lost low-end and treble and still retain a nice tube sound. I haven't tried any Premier class CJ preamps or the AR LS12 which I believe is the AR solid-state preamp(?). I have tried the Adcom GFP-750 and to my surprise its an outstanding full frequency preamp with great bass slam and control plus good high's. It's maybe just a little bright for my taste but with the GFP-750 in the system, I miss that sweet tube sound that I enjoy so much.
Etbaby, with regard to the LS12, did you lose any of that nice tube midrange and soundstage like I described about the Adcom GFP-750? I'm keeping the Adcom, its an awesome preamp and sometimes I'm in the mood for its style. But for now, I still prefer the all tube setup. I don't want to lose that magic tube sound and I'm wondering if you give up some of it in exchange for full frequency coverage with your LS12 ?
On another note, some folks in another thread have said the LS16 is noisey. Sure it hisses slightly if you put your ear right up to the speaker but no more so than the other tube preamps I have tried (CJ PV-14 & CJ PV-12). Is your LS16 noisier than normal or noticeable enough to annoy you? In a normal listening environment, I don't hear the hiss. Like I said, for me its only noticeable with my ear right up against the tweeter and thats not how I normally enjoy my music. ;-)
