Hey Shane - Thanks. I bought the PH7. I don't know if it has the gain for an XV-1, but its worth a listen. Works really well with the Orpheus. Biggest diff from the XOno was less grain, more detail and really excellent harmonics - and yeah it is quiet. Got a huge power supply. But not as flexible for gain or loading which some folks need.
Wrt C-J gear and Teflon caps, they do make a significant difference and C-J has adopted their use for their upper echelon pieces. In my opinion a Premier 16 with or without Teflon caps is still a league beyond any version of the 17LS, even as good as that preamp is. Or put differently, the 16LS is closer in sound to the ART than to the 17LS.
I'll agree with danthemannn that if you can afford a CT-5 (around $7.5k iirc), it is certainly worth a listen. To look beyond that level would, imo, mean taking a serious look at your amps. I loved the Premier 12s, but they are definitely closer to the s/lush warmth of older CJ gear and through them you won't benefit from what a top-tier preamp (like the ACT2 or REF3) brings to the table in terms of micro-dynamics and superior timing. If you plan to hang on to the 12s for a while, a used 16 may be a better value. Just my opinion.
At $25k each only 25 ART IIIs will be made. I think it is largely a commemorative piece to celebrate C-J's thirty years in business. I haven't seen the inside of one, but my guess is that CJ uses some of the newer componentry in the ART III that they are using in the ACT2.2. The ART III may turn mythic on us if we never see a formal review - which we may not. That it could be $10k better than the ACT2.2 is hard for me to imagine. But its the high-end so logic and proportion go down the rabbit hole. ;-)
Cheers,
Tim