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In Reply to: RE: Maybe not the EAR, but many do..... posted by AbeCollins on July 19, 2014 at 22:42:26
Thanks for the suggestion! I still have the J2 mated to the EAR 868. A good friend has some Pass mono blocs. I think I need to check those out. In the past, I've had Cary cdp's which I really liked and their SLP-98 preamp which I wasn't all that fond of. I've liked their cdp's precisely because of their dynamics. The preamp I had wasn't too dynamic. I guess I should try to arrange a demo of the SLP-05.
Another friend has the Job225 which sounds quite amazing. OK, it seems like I'm on the verge of another major system change.
Follow Ups:
I am an 868 PL owner myself although I admit that I am not much of a rock fan but I have sympathy for what you say.
If you are running it with the original EAR branded tubes then I would say that although they are very good they may not be the best for rock music. I found them a little rolled off at the top with a generous mid-bass but with a soft texture not suited to the driving bass of rock music.
As with things be-tubed part of the sound that you get is that of the tubes themselves. The 868 can be run on both PCC88 and ECC88 dual triodes ( 6DJ8 or 7DJ8). Just don't mix them. NOS PCC88s tend to be more plentiful and cheaper these days. I have compared both varieties from the same manufacturer in the 868 and cannot tell them apart.
Try some NOS Tungsrams which are very good and easy to find. If you can locate them then even better ( open and extended , solid bass) are PCC88s from Telefunken. Unfortunately they are hen's teeth these days.
As the EAR 868 has inherently great timing it should be excellent if properly fettled (have you the phonostage equipped PL version?). If you don't find this ultimately then it may be that SS is the path for you.
Yeah, I've got Telefunken PCC88s which I paid up for.
If you want to hear rock properly you need to own components that are suited to that genre.
OK, so suggestions? I really want to stay with a tubed preamp.
Keep the pre but you needs lots of amplifier watts and big, sensitive speakers with high power handling. You might not get all this plus the things you already love about what you've got now...in one system.
May I suggest some big powered speakers that you can hook up to your pre when you get the urge to rock? The biggest, baddest, most expensive powered studio monitors you can afford (although you could use smaller ones with 8" woofers if your room is small enough). Depending on what you get, you may enjoy these for all music, not just rock. It is rare that you can get a good demo in retailers that sell this equipment, so a great return policy is mandatory. You also might need additional room treatments.
Jeagle, my Conrad-Johnson CT 5 jumps, boogies and slams with the best solid state preamps. It's no longer in production but has successors just as good or better. The CT 5 was justly known for its slam. I havent heard its successors but the reviews are very complimentary. Prior to the CT 5 C-J was known for being a bit soft and romantic. Used newer models are reasonably priced when available. The C-J people are good to deal with.
Edits: 07/20/14
This is not your Father's CJ...my musical tastes are all over the board, but includes rock music...this CJ IMHO rocks just fine...If I covered up this preamp and had Audiophile come listen, I would guess 9 out of 10 would think it was a really good solid state preamp...it has just a hint of tube warmth...
Just my $.02...
thanks
Mark
OK, ok. In the past I've been pretty dismissive of the CJ gear. But it sounds like I really need to check out the CT-5.
When CJ was using 6N30P super tube, (I do not like that term), the Act1 and 2, CT-5 and CT-3 are very different sounding than all the models that use the 6922.
I did a side by side with CT-5 verses the CJ 16LS2,(6922 tube), both these preamps are one step down from the references for those lines.
The CT-5 was faster, with more detail, more forward and very neutral top to bottom...
The 16LS2 was warmer, more midrange tube bloom, (which I like), very smooth sounding and rounder rolled off presentation...really nice on acoustic instruments and female vocals...
My friend like the 16LS, I preferred the CT-5; they are cut from the same cloth, but are quite different...
Don't just take my word for it, many reviews echo what I have described...CJ's website has links to these reviews...
Good luck, allot of good choices out there...
thanks
Mark
Every CJ tube piece I ever heard was 'polite' or 'soft', very nice for vocals, sleepy time lullabies, smooth jazz and such, but they couldn't rock. But I admit that I haven't heard a recent CJ.
The 'sleeper' CJ IMHO was the solid-state PF-R linestage. That one really boogied! I liked it's liveliness better than the 'higher-end' solid-state Premier 18LS.
Abe, I think you are exactly right about the PFR (I also had the EF1 phono preamp). I had one for about 10-15 years and constantly listened to higher end gear that wasnt as clean, clear, absolutely neutral and nearly as quick as that PFR. C-J tells me that people are still looking for that unit.
The only reason I sold my PF-R was because the remote control for the volume knob was a bit too twitchy for me. I would always overshoot or undershoot my desired volume level when using the remote. It was otherwise a fantastic linestage.
So, it seems that I have to stop being lazy and listen to more vinyl. Easier said than done.
I'm also going to explore a more powerful amp. Several friends have some nice top-of-the-foodchain ss amps that they'd likely let me borrow.
I'm also quite intrigued by the active speaker recommendation. I had some ATCs in the past (their pro monitors), but I think I didn't have them configured properly with my upstream components. The Barefoot actives seems to get unambiguous praise in the pro circles. For a bit, I had almost all pro gear. Metric Halo LIO-8 AD/DA into some ATC actives. Stunning clarity, but lacking in some other areas.
I also likely need to check out some JBLs.
Many thanks for all the suggestions and helping me to reduce the search space.
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