I have owned CJ Premier 14, 16 and now the ET5.
There was a dramatic improvement in going from the premier 14 to 16. The 16 was significantly better than the 14 in every way: Wider soundstage, deeper soundstage, more detail and stronger bass.
I never felt the need or desire to upgrade to the ACT/Composite triode series of preamps.
I dropped my premier 16 off at CJ for some repair work one day and started talking to the technician. Based upon his description of the differences between the premier 16 and ET 5 I decided to try the ET5.
Whether the ET5 is better than the premier 16 is a matter of taste. To my ears there are significant differences. Both preamps exhibit the CJ house sound. The premier 16 has the golden glow, more recessed soundstage and stronger bass than the ET5. The ET5 presents more detail, wider soundstage and provides a more forward soundstage.
In summary I really like the ET5 and glad I made the change.
There was a dramatic improvement in going from the premier 14 to 16. The 16 was significantly better than the 14 in every way: Wider soundstage, deeper soundstage, more detail and stronger bass.
I never felt the need or desire to upgrade to the ACT/Composite triode series of preamps.
I dropped my premier 16 off at CJ for some repair work one day and started talking to the technician. Based upon his description of the differences between the premier 16 and ET 5 I decided to try the ET5.
Whether the ET5 is better than the premier 16 is a matter of taste. To my ears there are significant differences. Both preamps exhibit the CJ house sound. The premier 16 has the golden glow, more recessed soundstage and stronger bass than the ET5. The ET5 presents more detail, wider soundstage and provides a more forward soundstage.
In summary I really like the ET5 and glad I made the change.