CJ sound

Nrostov

Your comments suprise me! You are the first one that I ever read making a comment that cj pre-amps are on the dark side and lack highend sparkle. I have read many comments to the contrary............but you hear what you hear. I have owned three of them and they have all been very detailed and dynamic........interesting. I have heard and read comments that the new cj products are tending to move away, and some would to far away, from their house sound. Anyway FWIW

Forgive me for not exactly answering the question, but, with so many opinions expressed here, I thought I might chime in. The best description I've heard re: c-j comes from fellow Audiogoner; Zaikesman, he described c-j as being "sunny". I have to agree. To me c-j is warm, yet not dark. C-J's tend to roll off the extremes, soften the transients and yet maintain midrange detail. The ss c-j's can be a little lean in the bass, the tube c-j's a bit over ripe in the bass. The c-j ss pre's can add just a tiny hint of sharpness in the lower treble. C-J's have the unusual talent of maintaining sparkle while avoiding brightness. I also find that c-j amps tend to add a certain burr to the sound, not enough to loose detail, but enough to deviate from neutrality. On the other hand, they maintain harmonic integrity. No gear is perfect, and c-j's faults tend to complement the music, certainly better than the all too common alternatives. FWIW,IMHO,YMMV,cliche',cliche',etc..

Czbbcl,

I never would have said those things about the CJ pre-amps had I not heard, and now own, the Messenger preamp. It is a whole other world than the CJ.

As I said though I think CJ makes great stuff. Not the best on the market for the price but still great stuff.