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Just rebuilt a CJ PV-5, changed out all the electrolytics and the voltage regulator transistors. Also added some replacement coupling caps (mylar films caps about $7 each).I am shocked at how the sweet the unit sounds. Yes, definitely missing some fine detail, but the midrange present is so palpable, the listener doesn't mind the certain lack f detail. I had sold these units when they were brand new, but I do not remember them sounding so good.
If the music is more important than the detail, it is very highly desirable unit. Plus you can adapt newer PV-11/12 circuits into the unit if you want to
Edits: 10/01/14Follow Ups:
While I never had a PV 5, I found C-J preamps of that era rather dark and "chocolaty"
the author made reference to "colorations" in electronics compared to their faceplates.
So black faceplate components had black (quiet) backgrounds but could sound cold. Levinson may have been mentioned.
Gray faceplate components were dull and lifeless, Krell might have been suggested.
Silver faceplates were typically bright and detailed but perhaps without much body or warmth. I think ARC was implicated.
And gold/brass/champaign faceplates suggested warmer tonalities but with some coloration. Yes, c-j was the brand identified matching this.
Now I thought that was all a bit over simplified, but still not far off from my limited experience with Krell, ARC, and c-j.
"You can’t know what the “best” is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn’t any such thing." HP
None other than Harry Pearson as I recall. He also called th Cj a caramel flavored component....
My current main system is a Conrad Johnson PV-10 into an MV-55 power amplifier and paired with my Soliloquy 6-3s the sound is delightful. CJ makes good stuff IMHO!
Sim
I enjoyed the sonics and it was an upgrade over the various modified Dyna PAS3 pre amps that I have used.
But- a lot of gain, slight channel imbalance, and very sensitive to micro phonic tubes, particularly in the phono section.
I settled on a mix of GE 5 Star mil spec tubes and vintage Mullards.
Still have- heck technically it's vintage! And I may have it rebuilt someday.
Best, Ross
included a PV-5 with an Eagle 2A driving Infinite Slope speakers (what became Joseph Audio). By "better" I mean musically satisfying, not necessarily being able to tell if the third chair violinist dyed her hair or not. ;^)
The biggest concern as I recall (this was decades ago) was excessive gain. I don't believe the volume control was ever advanced beyond about 9:30.
Now looking back I wonder why that was the only piece of c-j gear I ever owned?
"You can’t know what the “best” is unless you have heard everything, and keep in mind that given individual tastes, there really isn’t any such thing." HP
It's very similar to the PV5. Biggest improvement I made was to add a choke in the Pi filter between the first and second filter cap.I also run it with the top removed. I noticed it caused a slight hum in the phono stage. Adding a grounded tube shield over the first tube stopped that.
It's a great sounding preamp.
Edits: 09/29/14
Over the years, I have owned the PV5, PV8, PV10 and PV12. The only one I really regret selling was the PV5. Very Musical, could listen to it all day long, even if it did not have the last word on detail or resolution.
Those OEM coupling caps used, were likely a key to sonics of that unit, and if I remember correctly, I think the PV5 had a pretty good sized power transformer.....
took 10 years to replace, the PV 6 is perhaps slightly better and is an improvement over the PV-2 and almost the same topology.
The ONE to get is the EXTREMELY elusive CJ EV-20.
The Mind has No Firewall~ U.S. Army War College.
Once you start improving on something that doesn't need it the "improvement" isn't really that. A modification isn't always better. But we all have to remember that the earlier electronics was based on vinyl use. Once CD was introduced and became the mainstream media, a lot of reengineering had to be done to accommodate the gain issue and also the sonic differences that was created by digital. It seemed that all efforts was placed on getting digital to sound like vinyl. Can't be done. My take on it is that if you are going to listen to CD make your system the best it can be for CD. And the same with vinyl.
I personally have two separate systems that use two separate components to accommodate the two separate play backs. I tried having one system do both and for me it didn't work and most of the issue was the speakers of choice.
I use one system for both, but I would say it is more optimized for phono. However CD's sound very good to me through it. My Yamaha C2x preamp came out well into the CD era and has an excellent linestage. My amplifier and speakers are both pre CD era but I am not sure what you would change in these components to optimize them for CD. (My system is posted if you are interested.) What are the differences in your two systems?Dave
Edits: 10/01/14
Stan Warren on his Superphon preamp would use a gold plated brass for phono inputs and nickel plated jacks elsewhere except for the CD input which were aluminum....claimed it made CDs more listenable
I never head of aluminum RCA jacks. It is hard for me to imagine why they would improve upon the sound of CDs.
Dave
Superphon was in existence in the late 80's ear;y 90's. Those type f jacks were used only on el cheapo gear. warren felt that the "softness" imparted by the jacks cured the =arly digititis
I still own some first generation CD players. They are pretty hard on the ears. I don't use them for listening.
Dave
The PV-5 was a great preamp for its time. It still sounds good with a mild parts upgrade. It is true to the music.
You might get more detail if you were to change-out the mylars for polypropylene or even teflon if you like the preamp enough to spend the $. I have read that the Jantzen polyprops are highly detailed.
quite familiar with the sound of caps, thank you. I never talked about it, but I once commissioned Southern/F-Dyne to build me custom caps, which I ordered by the thousands over the span of 20 years, slowly upping the construction from Mylar to polypropylene to oil wetted polypropylene with wire leads (styrenes and teflons were simply physically too large for me to retrofit in many circumstances). At the time ( the company is now bought out by Electrocube and not anywhere as friendly), the staff bent over backwards, providing with prototype samples before I placed any order. F-Dyne, incidentally built for Krell, CJ and Mark Levinson.
What surprised me, though, was the lack of detail did NOT take away from the musical enjoyment. I was similar surprised with an original ARC SP-6a, but the CJ was much more fulfilling in the midrange.
Of course YMMV and FWIW
Sounds like you know your caps!
One of the first really good systems I heard was a PV-5 driving an MV-75 driving Vandersteen 2C's. The table was a Kenwood with a composite plinth and a Fidelity Research arm, cartridge and step-up transformer. Speaker cables were Kimber. I don't remember the interconnects. It was a very sweet sounding system.
Dave
Put the cover back on: Now it sounds more like I remember it. Cover off it sounds rather spectacular.
I've built plexi covers for later CJ units with very good results. It's much easier for later units which use a square frame and plates for top and bottom covers. My guess is that the covers create a small capacitance with the PCB traces on the boards
Stu
What really helps those is the film cap power supply...CJ uses film cap power supplies in just about all their equipment now..If you are using the EM series Mallory mylars,those are fantastic caps and they are an actual film and foil,not metallized.
Honest amplification is better than excessive 2nd order distortion anytime.
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