Conrad Johnson Owners.com

As far as preamps go, I will admit to being curious about the GAT, but have been put off by the cost differential for what has been described to me as a marginal performance difference in my use. I listen almost exclusively to small group acoustic jazz. So the massed chorale in the final movement of...

Well what an encouraging read. I bought an ARTsa and ET5 two years ago now and have enjoyed them immensely. It is nice to learn that I am not crazy. My speakers are Sony SS-AR2s, quite a different kettle of fish from Quads, or Maggies for that matter. I have to say, that I love the sound. None bette...

Everyone has an opinion. Mine is ET5. When I bought mine it was between it and a GAT. The only piece of music I could detect any difference at all on was Beethoven's 9th finale and maybe, if you want to call it music, Tchaikovsky's 1812. And I had to really pay attention to hear the difference betwe...

This is a neat thread. I have been aware of cj for many years, but never really gave it a listen. Actually I moved away from the high end and went to the darkside (Bose 901 Lifestyle) for about 18 years. Then I got the bug again, which for me starts with finding a dealer that I am comfortable with. ...

I listen to both digital and analog, including a McIntosh Tuner and think you both make valid points. Digital at it's best is sonically superior and a whole lot less fussy to dial in. On the other hand, downloading a HiRez file just lacks the tactile experience that vinyl provides. And of course vin...

Turntables. I should back up and explain that I own 5, use 2 regularly. Let me comment on the two in regular use. They are a VPI Prime that is all optioned to the hilt. It has an HRX pulley with double belts because of the added mass of the platter due to the use of the VPI periphery ring. It also i...

Hi RJ, Using mostly a Sony HAP-Z1ES as a source, my system is on and playing music all day. When not traveling, I work out of my home office, so while I am not listening critically all day, the music is in the background. When I hear something I like, my whole attention transfers to the music. At lu...

Thank you for taking so much time to answer my seemingly simple question. I typically turn my system on in the morning and it goes all day, every day. 12 hours or so total every day. It all sounds just fine, no noise, no deterioration that I can detect. I do have a spare set of tubes and never thoug...

My cj equipment still sounds good, but the hours are now over 2000. Should I just wait, or what? ET5, ARTsa, TEA2MAX.

I think the plan is to check all the tubes at the one year anniversary. The small tubes might need to be replaced with the big tubes needing to be replaced about every other time. My dealer has a tube tester. I will let you know when the time comes.

Hi Joe, Yes mine is an ARTsa, driven by an ET5. Since we last corresponded I have added a TEA2MAX. Conrad-Johnson loves me. Anyway, all is well. I listen to music every day when I am home for at least 2-3 hours, with 4-5 not unusual and even more time on the weekends. It all sounds great to me. I ha...

If anyone makes this change, please post your results.

The is a note of follow-up to this thread. As this is written, the ET5 and ARTsa have over 500 hours on them. They sound wonderful, but I can't say with any assurance that they sound better than they did when I first put them into service. Jeff at C-J told me that both units were burned in for 100 h...

Hi RJ, It would seem that we have similar tastes in music as well as equipment. A very good friend of mine years ago was fixated (that is the only word to describe it) on the original Quad speakers. At that time I was similarly in love with the sound of a pair of biamped Bozak Concert Grands. Still ...

To answer your questions, my speakers are Sony SS-AR2, selected after auditioning Martin Logan Montis, B&W 802 and 800D, and Wilson's full range. The Sony speakers really flatter the human voice and that was the overall deciding factor for me. In a bigger room than mine, the B&W 800D perhaps...

Thanks for taking time to respond.

Blue Jeans stuff is fine, no frills, high grade copper wire (Belden) and connectors, reasonable prices. If there is anything better, I don't know what it is.

I have a new ET5 and ARTsa and have read repeatedly that these units need a considerable amount of time to sound their best. Is that true? They sound pretty good to me already. What change might I expect to hear? Also, on another forum there was a recent discussion about alternative tubes for the ET...