CJ vs. BAT vs. THOR preamps, who's best?

I've used a CJ 17LS on my BAT VK500 without a problem.
This would be a nice combo if you like a more relaxed
and slightly laid back sound. If your considering a
CJ preamp I would recommend a listen to the CJ CT-5.
I just replaced my 17LS with the CT-5 and the difference
is huge. I think a Premier 350/CT-5 combo would be very
nice.

Good luck

Well, I'm sorry it's so long before getting back to this thread... but thanks Cmach, and John..

Following a recent trip to the nearest CJ dealer my thoughts as to buying CJ's newest offerings have sorely diminished. Could wwell have been the setup.. synergy... or the mix. Nothing jump[ed out at me and said, "buy me!". Nothing. I wound up the auditions with the CT5 & 70wpc tube amp, CJ's replacement for their vaunted 60wpc unit. using the Cary hybrid CD player... and some quasi Quadd speakers from Austrailia... real pretty and pretty expensive too... On the whole it just didn't grab me. About as neutral a system as I had experienced. the dealer did say both pre & amp had the recomended 100 hours on them... I think they needed twice that or more... the sound was quick, open, extended, with decent bottom end given the plannar speakers sans sub... Nice enough though for the cost of the items together and their place in CJ's line up, well, lets just say I've a far more involving system. Warmer, richer, better imaging, and far better bottom end resolution, with greater presence in the mids too... not counting wiring for the cost of the CT5 ALONE.

...as John said so aptly,
"...Just one word of precaution, sometimes the best is already in front of you and you don't know it."

That's a big 10/4!

Not having the ability to just pick up and go as most do, finding out by comparison what level of system I have, has been sorely overlooked. Things are quite good at blindjim's house. Not perfect, just very good. I'll take that... for the time being and be satisfied with 'tweeking' things a bit with wiring, stands, another sub and such. I'm even more accepting of the JR's now... as they are finally broken in and sounding much better... but a few more db's of sensitivity would be nice.. say 90?

The dealer was quite nice and helpful, as always.. and we decided the only true way to determine what's what, is take a 'whatever' home and try it there... that's the ticket. ...and I just might, given the above posting to the effect that a single ended pre works good with the balanced BAT amp I have... that was/is a big concern for me.... as wholesale changes can not be made now or in the near future... so now, with a new & different set of NOS tubes and searching for some IC's between BAT & BAT, I'm pretty satisfied with my gear.

That's my problem as I see it... having the notion that the grass is always greener on the other side... it ain't always... and I've found if I'm thinking the grass is greener on the other side, it's time to water my own lawn.

With the thor gear I heard some time back, being the best "That's the ticket!" sound I've heard in over twenty years, I'm going to wait a while longer... My amp, as far as amps go, is near new being just under three years old... my pre is solid and does a great job. the CDP is quite nice and would require me spending mucho bucks to improve upon... so yep... gonna stick with what I've got and just tweak it a mite. ...although another 'door' may well have opened as I've found out that 'V.A.C.' ala Mr. Hayes, is not terribly far away either... and that's a balanced configuration too. Super! What does a VAC pre soundlike? Given their pricing, I'd say it ought to be hot... though given my latest audition of similarly priced units, then again, maybe not quite as hot as I imagine... we'll see. Hopefully.

Thanks, everyone... really. it's a tremendous ehlp to me to have those personal experiences related.

RE:VAC - best preamps I have heard, including Thor, BAT and CJ, for sheer palpability and musicality it doesn't get much better, at any price. Very involving sound, as if you are really "there". Started with a Standard LE and now have the top of the line Phi 2.0, mated to a McCormack DNA-500 amp. Sheer magic. Kevin is also one of THE nicest, most service-oriented people in audio and a real pleasure to deal with. He really stands behind his gear and he will work with you to match your preferences with what he has available, if there is a fit.

You owe it to yourself to go visit, especially if he's nearby - it will definitely be worth your while and may be quite eye- and ear-opening. Talking with him really helped me tremendously. Also, his products are built to last a lifetime - truly world-class equipment.

I have never heard the top of line BAT, CJ, or Thor pre-amps you are talking about, but I will tell you the Fplanner2000 knows what he is talking about. I have just added a VAC Ren Mk2 pre to my system, and it is amazing. Micro-dynamics and detail up the ying-yang, without any hint of analytical/hi-fi-ish sound. Involving without being romantic. And it can run balanced or single ended (inputs and outputs). Highly recommended.

Well Jim, I owned a VAC Ren MK 2 for a couple of days, I bought it used on AudiogoN, but it must have been defective.
While it did sound very good musically, I could not touch anything on the front panel, mute switch, volume control, selector switch, nothing without getting a loud crackling sound come through my speakers. So I sent it back....long story.

One note though, the VAC is not fully balanced, only psuedo balanced. That means it doesn't have a fully differential design (same circuitry for + and - legs of each channel). It merely has balanced input jacks which it then converts to single ended once inside the preamp/amp.
Not that there's anything wrong with that, I'm just making sure that you know.

Regards,
John