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Re: what's your take on this statement??

147.8.157.207

Posted by Adrian on December 7, 2000 at 17:34:25

In Reply to: what's your take on this statement?? posted by BS64 on December 7, 2000 at 05:06:25:

I have owned the lower-priced CJ gear in the past, and have auditioned the more expensive ones recently before deciding on my current system. I have not heard the ART, but I have heard and compared the 17LS with others. (Why would one need a "line stage" anyway, since the ouput of most CD players are higher than the input sensitivity of most power amps? I always thought this situation calls for an "attenuator" rather than an "amplifier".)

I can only tell you this; moving from a SS amp (except the very special ones) to a pentode amp is like a revelation. Moving from a pentode amp to a triode amp is like a salvation (but you need the right speakers. Most mainstream speakers were designed for SS amps.).

Cj is holding on to the old adage that power sells. The only way to get lots of power for a given dollar is by going the pentode/ultralinear route. This approach sacrifices musicality in exchange for excitement. It may impress the novice, but ultimately fails to communicate the fine nuances of music. You would immediately understand what I mean when you compare side-by-side a low wattage triode amp with a pentode/ultralinear amp, both driving sensitive speakers.

As for your dealer's statement, there is some truth in it. As one of the posters mentioned, the "technology" in a current CJ amp is no different from an old Dynaco ST70. The ultralinear design from Hafler has not been refined that much since the 1950s. You can probably buy all the parts and put one together for about 1/5 of the retail cost, if that. The rest of the money goes to marketing, margins for distributors and dealers, commission for the salesman etc. This is of course true for all the commercial products (unless you buy direct from the manufacturer). As such, CJ products are no better or worse than equivalent products from other "established" manufacturers such as Audio Research or VTL.

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