The PV15 at its best!

The PV-1 to now...
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Big Dog RJ
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The PV15 at its best!

Post by Big Dog RJ »

G’day maties!

From down unda, where the grass is green and the soil is red… and of course Melbourne- the best city in the world!

Been a while since my last post, cannot even remember when, feels like a year or two.

This is a dedication to mostly Conrad Johnson specialists, and to those who have used or acquired NOS tubes along the way...

Since departing with my beloved CAV45 (the most wonderful well-balanced tube integrated amp I’ve ever had the pleasure of owning) and venturing back into the pre-power config, now using the Classic 60SE once again, I was on the look out for a preamp that can match the sonic qualities of my previous ACT2.

Looked far and wide, over the hills and through the woods, and after trying quite a few superb preamps, I eventually settled for a beautiful PV15. This was the last “PV” series made by CJ just before their launch of the “ET series”, and the reason for choosing this particular preamp to match superbly well with the Classic 60SE is of many reasons:

1. This PV15 still has that golden glow of yesteryear that CJ was known for-musicality at its best. Call it coloured, caramel affect, who cares, the musical combination with the Classic 60 is marvellous!

2. Fitted with a pair of GE M8080’s which were well over used, required changing. So temporarily I fitted another pair of GE’s whiles my special order for the original Mullard M8080 was being processed by CJ (took a while but was worth the wait).

3. Final reason: simple circuitry, minimum parts (line stage only, no phonostage), easy to handle remote, and does have balance control- for those quick sound checks and finer adjustments… does make it handy.

Based on the above 3 points, most of the newer CJ pre’s don’t have much of that golden glow, neither do their latest power amps. However, after careful listening and trying numerous combinations, I figured if you were to try out an older pre with the power and finesse of their newer power amps, this combination just might provide a wonderful balanced sound of musical bliss, and that's all she wrote!

I must say, the ET5 was a superb combination as well as the ET7 would provide that very high quality sound. However, for me at this moment in my life, I have come to a point where this so called “high-end” audio industry must be justified by price vs performance factor. This is basically from the many experiences I have had through the decades of owning top end gear and eventuating into simpler forms of systems that not only give far more musical satisfaction but also help you save a whole lot more for finer things in life, such as family, building a home, and upgrading your cartridge...

Referring to point 2: this was the most amazing musical experience I have had to date!
CJ shipped across some very rare NOS Mullards, paid a pretty penny for this pair. It was like unwrapping something from the Raiders of the Lost Ark… The tubes came in an old white box, where each tube was covered in some very old type of paper that virtually crumpled whiles unwrapping. Checked the dates, looked like somewhere between 1976-78, the lettering was so faded, I think it was probably 1980. Anyway, I placed these in and thought what’s all the fuss about NOS… wow! Now that’s what I call “musical justification!”

Points as follows:
1. The holographic imaging is deeper and wider, has a superb sense of space along with the right sense of scale.

2. The transient response is smoother and has greater control coming from the power amp. There is no sense of “forced transients” or “overblown” impact, rather a sense of more natural tones, and when called for in the music, does deliver the impact only when needed. This is what I refer to a well-balanced sound, which allows you to relax and listen and most of all enjoy your music, rather than always be on edge…

3. The greatest factor, which leads to the most significant experience, is the noise floor. It’s extremely quiet, far quieter than the ET5 or the ACT2. I also tried the ET3SE, although a wonderful design in its own right, does not have balance control, only found on the ET5, ET7 & upwards. Therefore, describing the sonic attributes as above, considering the percentage of performance, this has gone up by around 60-70%, actually closer to 80% I would say.

In the past, what I have noticed from changing preamps usually amounts to a small factor of performance, somewhere between 10-20% in sonics but certainly not these Mullards! The whole presentation is truly remarkable, and delivered through Martin Logan stats, that level of transparency is highly revealing!

Do I miss my ACT2? Yes, sometimes, then perhaps an ET5 or ET7 would be the answer… unfortunately these preamps in Aussie land are priced in the upper region, which I will not spend on, although very accessible. If I was to out-class this performance by quite a margin and be able to justify the performance factor in that upper 70-80% region, that would have to be the GAT /GATS2.

Therefore, the point I’m trying to make is for those who have quality preamps, and are trying to venture towards upgrades or that ultimate one, don’t stress! You never know what you’ve already got, until you provide it with the best. Some careful listening and critical placement, and choosing the right tubes, may actually get you to a level of performance that you thought was only accessible if you had the extra funds, definitely not so!

Another PV series from CJ that I have enjoyed in the distant past was the PV12. It had all of that glorious golden glow, and partner this beauty with one of their newer designed power amps, will definitely provide that finer balance. Call me old fashion or whatever… but when you here this combination, you will recognize it straight away, and there is something very nostalgic about this sound. Whether it is “accurate” or not, I wouldn’t know but one thing for sure is “it just sounds right” indeed!

Cheers and all the best to the remaining PV series, Vintage at its best!
RJ
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Re: The PV15 at its best!

Post by admin »

Hi RJ,

Welcome back, nice to hear from you again. Your statements really resonate with my views. I always have the "itch" to upgrade but I try very hard to restrain myself when I find a sound I like. I've been using a PV12 for a number of years and I know it's now an old model,... but darn, I just love the sound.

Congrats on the tubes. Hold on to those precious things as they are rare and valuable.

Again, great to hear from you!
-admin
Home Theater in Member Gallery
Main stereo: ART Amplifier and ET7s2. 2nd stereo: PV-14L and MV-55. Previously Owned: PF2 preamp, Evolution 2000 Amp, PV-12AL preamp, D/A-2b Vacuum-Tube Digital Processor.
Big Dog RJ
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Re: The PV15 at its best!

Post by Big Dog RJ »

G'day Admin,

Very happy to hear that you are still enjoying your PV12, and no doubt it was one of CJ's best sounding tube pre's at the time. So many different models came out after that and the one that stood out the most simplest form that was very musical was the Classic preamp. No longer in production and I bought a brand new one only used it for a very short while until I got my hands on a used Act2.

That's where it all went down hill... The Act2 was a superb preamp in all that it's capable of, however the unit I acquired did have some circuit issues over the years. To the point where it just wouldn't play for anything longer than half an hour without shutting down or suddenly freezing. I was told by a tech chap this was mainly due to the Quads mains transformer packing up... Whether he was right or not I wouldn't know but in that case why the preamp and not the power amp?

After it was fixed by the CJ importer here in Aus, and it seemed to work fine after that, the Quads did eventually fail. At that point I decided this was far too many repairs and getting costly therefore I decided to sell off the Act2 whiles it was working and start all over again.

By that time the Classic was no longer in production and I had access to the new ET series but they were not of Act2 quality nor musicality. They were great in performance and bringing out the music but something was missing from those previous per's and as the years passed I realized it was that golden glow that CJ was known for.

So this is the sole reason I ventured back towards the PV series and acquired the last one in that series which is the PV15. It is a superb preamp and one that will perform to high standards if fitted with those Mullards M8080. From this point onwards I don't know if I would ever be able to find or buy another NOS pair of M8080's but at least for now I will enjoy this beautiful sound to the fullest for as long as possible.
Cheers, RJ
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Re: The PV15 at its best!

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The points you make are the reason that I have essentially not been "upgrading" constantly. My "simple" PV12 has worked so flawlessly that I am a little scared of upgrading. CJ is top quality, but the more components and more complex circuit design, the more opportunities with failure. Would I sometimes like to have the ability to control the volume with a remote control... sure. But that is also another opportunity for failure. I think the PV12 has a rather clean design. I've found it to be very reliable. At the same time I would love to get my hands on some of CJ's new top tier equipment but the price is a little "restrictive" at this point. It's kind of "don't fix it if it's not broken" situation currently.

I'm also into planar speakers and always worry about them as repairs are more difficult than standard cone and woofer designs. I've heard people report that when Quad moved their manufacturing to Asia (China, I believe) there was a decline in quality control. Not sure if this is true or not but I've stuck with Martin Logan and Magnepan for speakers and have had good experiences.
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Home Theater in Member Gallery
Main stereo: ART Amplifier and ET7s2. 2nd stereo: PV-14L and MV-55. Previously Owned: PF2 preamp, Evolution 2000 Amp, PV-12AL preamp, D/A-2b Vacuum-Tube Digital Processor.
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Re: The PV15 at its best!

Post by george_k »

From this point onwards I don't know if I would ever be able to find or buy another NOS pair of M8080's but at least for now I will enjoy this beautiful sound to the fullest for as long as possible.
Agreed, I bought a couple spares from here:

https://www.watfordvalves.com/product_d ... sp?id=4230
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Re: The PV15 at its best!

Post by Wildcat »

My PV14L came to me with Philips|ECG 6C4s. I bought some Tung-Sol 6C4s to replace them with, but both of these options were very microphonic. I located an eBay seller in the UK who was selling matched pairs of the Mullard M8080, so I ordered in a set. Well worth it! When one of the tubes started with a rustling sound a few months later, I contacted the seller. As I already wanted to order another set, I let the seller know, and they set me up with another pair of M8080s at no charge. Very nice!

Currently they sell the M8080s for £5.50 each, and tested/matched pairs for £24.00. Someone with a tube tester could probably do quite well by buying a lot of the £5.50 tubes and matching their own pairs, but I'm sure even the £24.00 is less than C-J's direct price for a pair.

Here's the seller (no affiliation): http://www.ebaystores.com/COLOMOR-VALVE ... COMPONENTS
C-J PV-14L/C-J Premier 11/Martin Logan Spires/PS Audio DirectStream Jr./PS Audio AirLens
Technics SL-1210G/Nagaoka MP500/Dynavector XX2 Mk. II/SweetVinyl SugarCube/C-J EV-1
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