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Tube pre/power combo for Rockport Aviors

I have a pair of Rockport Aviors on order that should arrive sometime in Jan. The Conrad Johnson CT 5 pre and CJ LP 70S power (70 wpc) that I have at present may not have enough juice to do justice to the Aviors. Given the limited availability of brands/dealers in my part of the world,I have shortlisted 3 pre/power combos :
1. Conrad Johnson GAT and ARTsa(140 wpc)
2.ARC 5SE and Ref 150 or Ref 250 monos
3. VTL 7.5 mk 3 pre and 450 MB series3
The Aviors will replace a pair of Quad 2905s that I have enjoyed for 6+ years. My musical tastes extend to the whole spectrum from large orchestral works, chamber music, rock, blues, Indian music but strictly no Rap or Country. The preferred source is vinyl.
Ideally I would love to stay with the CJ line as I like the sonics though I suspect this may not be possible.I am not looking for recommendations per se but to those Agoners who have experience of any of these brands either through ownership or extensive listening etc. I have been fortunate to be in contact with some knowledgeable Agoners .
Many thanks and festive cheer
Pradeep
128x128sunnyboy1956
philb7777
401 posts
 
Pradeep,

Sorry I'm a little late getting in on the responses here, but I just took delivery of an ARC Ref Phono 2 SE and Ref 250 monoblocks. I also have, like you, and TW Acustic analog front end.

I must say the Ref 2 SE phono and ref 250 monos are incredible. This is with only around 10 hours on them right now. The inner detail, ambience, and sound stage cohesiveness was a step up from my Rowland gear. As always, much of this is system dependent and listener preference dependent. But I would certainly recommend a listen to the new ARC gear coming out. It's certainly a different beast from its former gear in the past. And yes, I still love my Rowland gear too!
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Hi John
Not very successful . Did hear the VTL 7.5 mk 3 pre, the big Siegfried monos and the Wilson XLFs. I suspect the room was not large enough. Majestic sweep but the problem I guess is me. When I walk into a demo of a 300k system I expect the moon and anything less is a big letdown.
Was hoping to hear the VTL MB 450 monos paired to the Sashas and the Alexias but that didn't work out.
The good news is that the Aviors have reached my dealer in New Delhi but I get home only after ten days :(
Am checking out the pricing /availability of the Absolare pre amp. Will keep you posted ...
Cheers
Pradeep
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
Philb7777
Congrats on your ARC gear. I have heard great things about the Ref 250 monos. Am pretty familiar with ARC. I had a vintage LSB2 pre and later a SP 16. I think there is more convergence than divergence between the latter CJ and ARC gear either because of the Teflon caps and/or KT 120 tubes. Just my 0.2 cents worth.
If as I suspect I get enough juice from my LP70S with KT 120s, I may just upgrade the pre, a CJ CT 5, to an Absolare. Ideally would love to snare a CJ GAT ,preferably a demo unit.
Many thanks for your inputs and all the others who have contributed.
Cheers
Pradeep
philb7777
401 posts
 
Pradeep, congrats on your Rockports too! They are phenomenal loudspeakers.
sunnyboy1956's avatar
sunnyboy1956 OP
424 posts
 
A quick update. Over the weekend I snagged a CJ GAT preamp on Agon. I believe it's a good deal and allows me to significantly improve on a sonic footprint that I love. The minor hassle is converting the GAT to 230v. My tech friend back home says this should not be a problem. Will stick to my Conrad Johnson LP70 S with KT 120s for now.Will keep you posted when I get home from my long vacation in NYC.
Many thanks to everyone who chimed in with suggestions and comments.
Have a great 2013
Cheers
Pradeep
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