CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

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Chiswocka
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CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Chiswocka »

As the title suggests I’m a Conrad Johnson CT6 owner, entertaining the idea of the C1 Teflon cap upgrade.

Has anyone done this upgrade or heard a CT6 which has had been Teflonated by the CJ team?

Cheers

Shertzy
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Big Dog RJ »

Hey mate,

Came across cap upgrade.
This would definitely be a good upgrade, worth the spend. From the standard polypropylene/polystyrene caps that CJ does use, which is still high quality delivering a sublime sound, along with high quality power supplies and ancillary components. Incorporating the Teflon caps, takes this quality to a higher level, providing a further refinement in sound, one that is of pristine quality.

The most advantageous affect of these previous designs by CJ, is that nearly all their gear can be upgraded one way or the other, delivering further enhancements in sound quality. From this very event, it is really not necessary to invest and spend lofty amounts on their new gear, unless of course one was well financed. Why I'm stating this is because the new gear that CJ offers currently is quite expensive, and in Australia these are dam expensive and caters only to a very wealthy class of individuals.

Audio Research also started offering similar upgrades, by doing so they can continue to offer these benefits to the average enthusiast, and not omit them in anyway. As for the "well heeled" they would obviously want to purchase the newer gear, which is quite awesome indeed in every sense of the word but not necessary, in my opinion.

I know of quite a few who still have the ART pre-amplifier in its original condition but modded with upgraded Teflon caps and better vishay resistors. I have listened to it side by side with a GAT, honestly speaking there was no difference, and neither was better. The ART offered that superb finesse of CJ's golden glow around the hay day of that era, just a very highly musical preamp. The GAT offers more of the music and less of this added coloration. Personally I prefer the ART, and it looks far too cool compared to the GAT!

Even when I upgraded my ACT2 to a series 2, it was close to the GAT's performance. Now CJ offers the GAT series 2, which is quite remarkable and comes at a remarkable price! I wouldn't spend that kind of money on audio nowadays. Unless funds were unlimited...

Go for it! and make sure the CJ team conducts all positive tests required on your CT6. Once you get the unit back, make sure you give it ample time to settle in because you're going to enjoy this ride very much!

Cheers and all the best, RJ
Chiswocka
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Chiswocka »

Cheers big dawg : )

Really informative and much fuel to the upgrade fire, I'm in Europe so not near the crazy prices of Oz but still US equipment is priced highly, i got the CT6 at a good price so with the upgrade it would still fall below the used price of a 16ls, CT5 etc etc but not by much. Just wandering wether the performance would also match or surpass that of the before mentioned, interested in how the upgraded CT6 measures up against the 'budget' beasts in the used CJ lineup. Its a pretty decent pre already but it could defo be improved on, especially in the detail dept where the Teflons should put some heat up its arse. I just can't seem to find any info or anyone who has a CT^ with Teflons! There must be someone out there, im a believer!!!
Chiswocka
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Chiswocka »

Oh yeah, I'm pre morning coffee here and the synapses are not firing, i have emailed Jeff @ CJ a couple of times about the benefits and performance of the CT6 after upgrades and he has yet to reply, could it be that i would be the first, surely not!
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Big Dog RJ »

G'day mate,

Although I've not done this upgrade with this particular pre, I do know for a fact that your upgrade will definitely be well spent. The Teflon caps and all the other goodies (vishay resistors & high quality computer grade film caps) will also add wonders to the sound, and to any of CJ's pre's for that matter. The "SE" versions that are now offered, no doubt takes the performance to another level in quality but also comes with a price!

However, I have experienced in terms of power amps, sometimes the SE version, although do sound fuller and a bit more powerful, may not suit certain systems. Hence, the standard versions would suit better on certain speaker systems, and may also match to personal preferences in sound (similar to what I'm experiencing at the moment).

Give Jeff some time mate, he's probably inundated with service/tech calls plus repairs. He is the new GM for Tech Service and probably is the only one who makes these decisions, apart from Lew J of course. CJ has a very small staff, and mostly rely on their dealer network to communicate with the customer. They don't have the required resources to deal directly with the customer, unless you were to ship the item directly to them, which they do attend to. Very similar model to Magnepan, VTL, Manley and the like, which I have all dealt with as being a previous owner at one point.

Eventually Jeff should get back to you. Where are you going to do this upgrade by the way? Would it be a local tech chap in your area or are you sending the unit across to CJ in VA?

Cheers RJ
Chiswocka
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Chiswocka »

Morning/evening Big dog,

I have no doubt its a worth while upgrade, just a little concerned with the shipping to and from the states + import charged etc, it will get a little extravagant, when Jeff gets back he should clear these up. As far as i know the CJ C1 upgrade can only be done by them in the states as they do not supply parts, however info is few and far between so we shall see.
I am pondering doing the upgrades myself, i can solder/desolder and i can order parts, these seem to be the main pre requisites other than identifying the correct caps, resistors, power supplies and complementing hardware which i would get a local expert to point out. This way i feel i could attain a higher quality upgrade, cheaper and well suited to my individual tastes however a CJ upgrade has an easier resale value so its a double edged sword.
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by ronenash »

One other idea is to upgrade to the ACT2. The ACT2 is a far better preamp with Teflon caps. For the price of your CT6 plus cap upgrade you can probably get an ACT2 which would be a much better choice IMO.
ronenash
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Power:CJ ART150, Beard P100, McCormack DNA500, Krell FPB300
Pre:CJ ACT2.1, Pr14, Pr15
Analog:VPI Classic/Falcon/SoundSmith Denon 103R, Lenco L75 rebuild
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Chiswocka
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Chiswocka »

You are defo right on by the ACT2 being a superior option, i imagine even with the finest upgrades to the CT6 it would be hard to compare. It is a very good suggestion however cash is tight. I could personally do the CT6 upgrade 3 times before it levelled to the cheapest ACT2 on the market in the EU, which is suspiciously cheap (we get a LOT of scam adds for high end audio in EU) I could even do a Duelund CAST upgrade and fall around the same price as the ACT. Not that i will of course. The CT6 is very tidy and simple looking internally so it could be quite a bit of fun to 'pimp' it gradually, it would surely halt any other system upgrades until all was burnt in and done, probably... maybe... hopefully...
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by ronenash »

You are correct for sure. I was looking at US used prices.
ronenash
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Power:CJ ART150, Beard P100, McCormack DNA500, Krell FPB300
Pre:CJ ACT2.1, Pr14, Pr15
Analog:VPI Classic/Falcon/SoundSmith Denon 103R, Lenco L75 rebuild
Digital:J.River-->Chord 2Qude
Speakers:SF Amati Futura
Chiswocka
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Re: CT6 Teflon upgrade, anyone done/heard it?

Post by Chiswocka »

Hi peeps,
Update on the CJ - It is now for sale, the idea of an upgrade seemed to to hit a wall of negativity from every angle, Jeff at CJ refused to reply to my emails on upgrading or providing schematic : s I got in touch with 2 audio engineers to perform the upgrade, neither were interested or thought it a good idea. And what a damn colossal blessing this was!
I just bought a modified Supratek Chardonnay pre, modded for 7193 tubes, Jupiter coupling caps, Lundhal transformers, Mundorf S/G/O in power etc lots more and it rocks the **** out of any other pre i have had in my system and many i have heard costing FAR more, in FAR better systems, i have never heard the stock so i cannot say if that is as good, but the one is incredible! Last week I demoed a modified CAT SL1 mk2 with V-cap Cu's at 1uf values etc, it was not as good as the Supratek, almost as old as me and the CAT was noisy as ****, a lot of hum, plus it was twice as expensive! Brand name and hype. I am starting to realise that the best gear out there is not from big brands but from highly competent and passionate individuals. This is of course how all high end audio brands begin, the high end audio scene seems a little amateur all the way to the dizzying heights, it just does not have the volume of sale/revenue, R&D and technological investment that other industries do, with a hefty user price tag. Slow, careful build by a master builder/engineer with the highest quality components possible is not a feasible business model, at least not in the middle range audio world, of course its the nature of the niche beast!
Mega happy ending from Chiswocka!!!
: )
Cheers
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