The final Act in a study in preamps the ART 3

I wanted to put this to rest with a final word that would capture this experience . Tie it up nicely , leave it open for others to enjoy and move on . I do not wish to come off as melodramatic in my gushing of praise and enthusiasm. I do on the other hand love what I am in the middle of and must explore with you the evolution a bit more.

I was wrong, it has not stopped improving and I am at 420 hours. I have in rotation a few discs I will list in my wrap up of this study but in particular , I am focused on Live From France , Patricia Barber. I play this disc in its entirety every night to begin the rotation and every night it sounds different. Emerging from the myriad of instruments that the band utilizes is a "stain of character " to each unique sound. The trite verbiage is "fleshing out the character " of the instruments as they become what they will be ultimately presented as from a given chain of components. What I mean by staining is that with this preamp, the nuances are so uniquely delineated and presented that they portray such a bold , identifiable texture that it becomes an indelible imprint you cannot mistake.... like a stain . Every spin of the disc unearths more of this and I cannot contain my admiration . As good as the ACT 2.2 is { and it is extraordinary } , the Art 3 is in another league.

I have friend that is a highly respected member of the audiophile community and Professor of Mathematics at the University of Iowa. John Lediaev is a man of dedication . He treats is body and mind like calibration instruments. His commitment to exacting the performance of his audio system is astonishing. His relentless pursuit of audio perfection is lead by his laser like focus on the accurate presentation of instrumental timbre. He attends live unamplified musical events often and he punctuates his fascinating stories of audio with analogies to his own experiences with his system . For the first time , I understand completely what he is so tantalized with.To listen to a musical passage that is dense with various unique and well recorded sounds and experience the lack of homogenized instrumental character is humbling .

The Teflon caps are maturing and the clarity , focus and separation of the space is evident. The result is a startling ability to walk through the space of the recording. Holographic and stable , the bodies , bells, cymbals ect ect are locked in a vacuum in front of you in your room . Each recording displays a completely different picture and its amusing to be able to easily hear the recording engineers purpose.

I am not sure I will conclude this soon as I am clearly in the presence of something that must be respected for what it is : a benchmark product.

Brent

Good to see you enjoying the ACT3.
I luved my pre 16, but did not care for ACT2 or CT5. Good to see CJ have dumped that 6h30 and gone back to some tonal warmth and musicality they are so famous for coupled with transparency

Hi Downunder. I know your feelings regarding the Act 2 and Ct5 , we have conversed before in private . I also respect you and your experiences with CJ.
I personally feel that that direction was a needed evolution and brought clarity and detail to the table. I also like the 6h30 and what it brought to the table. The balance however was a tricky one and the Act 2 was not successful at bridging the gap. The Ct5 was a move in the right direction as it brought dynamics and a solidity to the lower midrange and is a superior " best buy " IMO. The Act 2.2 however was a milestone achievement and is a musical , involving instrument of reproduction . Had I not heard the ART 3, I would have ended my quest there. I could never have imagined that the ART 3 would be this good .

Downunder , I wanted to expand on my comments above. I personally feel the direction is a positive one for specific reasons . The added clarity and resolution was an important step in the right direction IMO. The use of teflon caps and new topologies of the new CJ gear allows us to dig deeper into the music . We have all of these fabulous recordings to listen to and they are full of detail that must be dredged up to be appreciated. To lose this ability to see the entire sonic landscape at any expense isnt worth it to me. Fortunately , musical involvement is alive and well in the Act 2.2. The ART 3 strikes the perfect pose of maintaining staggering detail , rich midrange density, and frequency linearity from top to bottom . Add to this the ability to spotlight the minute color shadings of the instrumental timbre . This cannot be deleniated without this added resolution and cleaning of the sonic window. The trick is the balance.

Conclusion and final thoughts.

I rotated discs from my Redbook , SACD as well as DVD A collection .Initially I treated my system with the Purist Audio Design , System Enhancer Rev-B disc . Discs used in this evaluation were as follows:

1: Best of Mickey Hart . DVD A
2: Dead Can Dance . Spiritchaser both for percussion . Redbook
3:Rachmaninoff . Eiji Oue . Vocalise . Minnesota Orchestra Reference Recordings . HDCD
4:Copland . Eiji Oue . Fanfare for the Common Man . Minnesota Orchestra Reference Recordings . HDCD
5:Diana Krall . Steppin Out . Redbook
6:Al Dimeola . Flesh on Flesh . SACD
7:Patricia Barber. Live a Forthnight in France . Redbook
8:Kraftwerk . Tour de France . Electronica . Redbook

Passing 500 hours of break in I sensed a complete picture coming together. The attribute I admired most of this preamp was its grip on its own purpose. It began as an unassuming yet exuded its presence of direction from the opening note. It slowly blossomed in all directions starting at the center of the frequency response: the glorious midrange . This is what many buy Conrad Johnson products for and this is their ultimate statement on the subject . From this perspective , I would have been completely satisfied if it offered nothing more . I knew better as I had experience with the Teflon caps .

The top opened up and painted a crystal clear window that excelled in lighting the back of the recording. This attribute of gear is fast becoming a critical necessity to my own listening preferences. Cables can choke this off so never neglect proper cabling.
Diana Kralls Steppin out is a favorite of mine as well as Pat Barbers Live in France in this regard. To hear this phenomenon come to life before your eyes is to understand one of the sonic roots of our obsession we share.

Bass response is one of the most difficult areas to accurately reproduce in a system. So many factors can contribute to its effect that to ascertain the role of a particular component is most difficult. I used Kraftwerks Tour de France to get a handle on its low bass support but ended up with Al Dimeola as the final barometer. The articulation of upper bass notes as they pass to lower midrange is where I was able to discover the nuances and shadings this preamp was capable of. Clear clean and fast yet possessing weight and density , bass and lower midrange percussive notes stood out from one another in its own space which left you with the ability to follow whatever note you wanted within the soundscape with surprising ease .

Finally , its all about the music . Music can be alluring in that you feel a part of something larger than a song. You want to move and groove and share it with others . You want to sit forever and never leave your listening chair. Music can also be a portrait. It can be the most perfect arrangement of notes with dynamic contrasts, lightning leading edge transient notes and crystal clear top end extension . It can even be made to measure almost perfectly . The difference is that one is musically rewarding and makes you forget about the electronics. The other is beautiful , seemingly perfect yet the connection with your soul is somehow lost. This preamp grips you and draws you inside the music .

This preamp is the kind of product that can define a company . The Conrad Johnson ART 3 should certainly hammer its legend in stone for decades to come .

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This review was a labor of love for me. I am so fortunate to be able to have had this unique opportunity to share my journey with some of you .