Conrad Johnson Owners.com

Hi all,
I am a new member and I was wondering if you could give me any advice on the best stand alone CJ phono or a line preamp with phono.
The phono will be connected with a very modified and upgraded CJ PV10 line.
Thank you
Kind regards
Tube

Have you looked at the TEA1 or TEA2? They are the current CJ offerings for standalone phono preamps. Supposedly very nice.

Thank you Admin.
Yes, but they don't have enough gain for my Linn Kandid or benz Ruby carts so I will have to use a step up transformer.
How do they compare to the previous CJ preamps please?
Is the phono of the PV12 comparable with the TEA1 or TEA2?
What about the phono section of the PV9?
Thank you
Tube

I'm probably not the best person to ask as I only do a moderate level of vinyl listening. However, I have heard people speak very highly of the phono section of the PV12. Matter of fact, it's probably the most often discussed line stage of any CJ unit. I own the PV12 but unfortunately only the line stage version so I can't give you a honest review of its performance.

Thank you Admnin

The Premier 15 is a great photo stage of you can find one. Better than the TEA2 IMO and approaching TEA1 levels although not quite there.

Good to know, thank you ronenash!

Hi ronenash. Thanks for your comment about the Premier 15. I have one of those I bought new in the late 90's and had it factory upgraded to Teflon Caps a couple of years ago. I use a step up transformer (cinemag) with my Koetsu Blue Lace cartridge and was considering selling the 15 and getting a TEA2. But after reading your comment, I'm reconsidering that idea. Could you please expand on your comment with more specifics about why the Premier 15 might be better? Any one else have any thoughts about that? Appreciate your input.

Hi Jasper

The TEA2 does not have the same quality parts as the pr15. Even in its best form it has electrolytic caps in the power supply where the pr15 is all film caps. It's a much cheaper design than the pr15 overall. Just look at the internals and you will see. Things such as the suspended sub chassis of the pr15 are not available in the TEA2.

I have a TEA2MAX with 55 db of gain. Recently I added a Bob's SUT because the output of my Per Windfeld @ 0.3 mV was borderline too low. With the SUT, it is hard to find fault with the sound of the TEA2MAX. It sounds really, really good and better than anything at or near it's price.

I heard that The Premier 15 was really more for MC cartridges . Has anyone used MM cartridges with The Premier 15 . I heard that the Premier 15 had a little too much gain for MM carts.

G'day mate, from down unda...

If I'm correct, the last time I auditioned both versions of CJ's newest phono stages Tea1SE & the Tea2 are actually available in two versions. High gain and low gain, also inside both units, there are selectable switches which allows the user to match the gain structure of their cartridges as closely as possible.

This is extremely important to get that gain structure right, otherwise disaster!

Obviously, an older phono pre may be more suited since they are probably easier to match with impedence and load settings, compared to CJ's new offerings... But I may be wrong.

Also the SE versions of either of these phono preamps are top notch. The only thing for me is that the gain structure on the Rega Aria is much higher compared to any of CJ's and matched extremely well with my Benz Micro Glider SM cart, simply superb! Therefore, I didn't need to spend more on a phonostage, plus the price difference was in fact quite a far margin.

This would work differently for others, best advise is to check with your nearest CJ dealer or directly with CJ and give them the specs of your cart. I am sure you will be able to find the correct phono stage from CJ to match your cart.
Cheers, RJ

Good Day RJ,
You are correct about the two gain versions offered on the TEA1 and TEA2. High Gain for MC cartridges and Low Gain for MM cartridges. It is important that one makes sure that a certain phono stage preamp will match with their particular cartridge.

I had a chance to purchase a Premier 15 phono preamp a few months ago. I was not sure if it would have been a good match for my Grado MM cartridge. Plus , I need the money for other areas in my system.