Should I get the Art Audio Jota

Phaelon, I have read from the review in 'Enjoy the music' that the CJ 17 LS inverts the phase. You need to take that into consideration and reverse the speaker terminal connections.
The Jota has an input sensitivity at 400 mV (0.4V). This would mean that probably you can run the Jota without a line stage by either:
- use a passive volume control stepped attenuator and selector like Goldpoint or other passive pre-amp or
- order the Jota with that same type attenuator (if your intention is to order it).
Then you may just not need the CJ.

Hi Phaelon,

I agree with Misskuma, the CJ will probably assert it's own approach to sound over the Art Audio Jota. I've tried several preamps ahead of my AA PX-25 and the sonic influences are readily apparent. I ended up going with a passive transformer volume control to retain the transparency and tonal purity.(not suggesting you should do the same)

But, there's no way to know until you try. Test it out, but I would highly suggest using a preamp intended to be used in a SET system. Or, at least one that was designed with SET in mind as an option. There are certain unique aspects or traits (and highly desirable ones) that just are not existent in many PP amps. It is important that they are preserved.

There are plenty of choices significantly different from CJ. Consider an Art Audio, Shindo, Air Tight, etc.

Of course, any well-designed, well-executed, linestage should perform well in any system and let through everything preceding it. I think most of us will agree that there are many that fall short of this.

OK, maybe I'm thinking wrong. I've been considering the 17LS a strength in my system and my intention was to maximize it's virtues with an amplifier upgrade. I wasn't aware that there were preamp designs specific to single ended amps.

A phase that is being inverted by a component doesn't require correction elsewhere because up to 50% of all recording have been recorded with inverted absolute phase (unintentionally).

Chris

Some recordings have inverted phase but it usually sounds, to me at least, as if only one or two mics were the culprits. The sound becomes "phasey" and puts pressure on my ears. Some of Hendrix's stuff was intentionally recorded out of phase, but I have jazz and pop recordings that are obviously just mistakenly so. On a good system (like most of us have) the phasey-ness becomes obvious.

I've heard recordings where the piano and sax sound great but the drums and upright bass are out of phase - they pressurize the room in uncomfortable ways and seem to be smeared all over the soundstage.

By the way, the CJ 17 and 11 are both a bit "fuzzy" sounding, kind of like looking outside through a window screen. The AA would be more like the window without the screen.

If your room is small to medium sized, the high current AA should work great, depending on the kind of music and at what levels you listen.