Phono stages : TEA2 SE HG vs EV-1

[Inxs]

Would it be a step up in sound quality if I upgrade from my EV-1 to TEA2 SE HG , which is the version with Teflon caps ?
My preamp which this will go into is PV-15 which has no Teflon caps, so I wonder if this will be an upgrade at all ?

[AnotherJohnson]

The EV1 and PV15 are both nice examples of excellence for their era.

If you have (and listen to) a lot of vinyl, then depending on the rest of your vinyl front end, the upgrade to the TEA2SE HG might make sense.

If, instead, mostly listen to other sources, you’ll get a bigger overall improvement by upgrading the PV15 - and I say this without even suggesting that you go to a preamp with Teflon caps. Even an ET3 or 5 or 6 will give you something.

If you do go to a TEA2SE, it would be in anticipation of a long term journey into the land of $10k+ turntables and $3k+ cartridges. It seems like a waste of money if you’re not committed to listening to vinyl.

[Truth71]

Agree with AnotherJohnson....Have you considered upgrading the preamp to Premier 16, Premier 17 etc? This might give more "bang for the buck" for ALL of your audio sources....and they are very reasonable right now on the used market.

[Inxs]

Thanks for all the replies guys. How about an ET3 SE with phono built in ? Would that be better than PV-15 with a separate EV-1? I know ET3 SE on its own is better than PV-15 but would ET3’s phono Carr be as good as a separate EV-1 ?

[AnotherJohnson]

That’s a really nice unit, but since the phono is built in, be sure you get enough gain.

When it came out, some reviewers likened it to a mini GAT.

I had an ET3SE with my TEA2MAX and I loved it.

I eventually replaced it with an ET7, and later with an ET7s2 and TEA1.

But I could have happily lived with the ET3SE.

[Big Dog RJ]

Yes, very good points there by what AJ has already stated.

In order to gain a significant improvement on your phonostage, you'll need to upgrade the pre-amplifier stage first. Anything above the PV15 would be fine, even one of CJ's ET3 SE preamps will be fine but without built-in phono.

Since you're getting the TEA2SE as a dedicated phonostage, that would be the better option. Later on, you can always upgrade your TT and cartridge keeping the TEA2SE because of its highend nature. The TEA2SE can be further upgraded towards the Max series, that's the version I'm currently using, and it's truly marvellous!

So, firstly consider the preamp for an overall solid foundation and the power amplifier. BTW, what power amp are you using? And what are the speakers?

In order to derive the best possible performance from the TEA2SE, your pre-power combination has to be on par, otherwise it's a massive drop in sound quality.

Let us know how it goes. Hope you find something most suitable to your gear and the rest of your system.
Cheers, RJ

[Inxs]

What if I went with CJ CA200 for my control and amp needs hooked up to the TEA2SE HG phono stage ? Would this be a worthy companion for the TEA2SE HG ? And would this be an improvement over my current PV-15 preamp and EV-1 phone stage set up

[AnotherJohnson]

I think that would be very nice indeed.

[AnotherJohnson]

The only downside to a CA200, in my opinion, is that CJ does not appear (to me) to be committed to support their solid state legacy products on the same level as their hollow state legacy products from the same era.

[Big Dog RJ]

Very true AJ, no doubt I feel the same way.

Not only is CJ not able to support their SS gear for much longer but also not much support in any of their earlier / vintage gear either. I guess they simply don't have the resources, parts etc., and they just don't want to go down that path / memory lane... Hence, acquiring gear such as the PV, MV, Premier and LP series will be a rarity!

It's pretty clear where CJ's headed, judging from the website, they're aiming for the top within a niche market. Offering the Classic series is solely for that more affordable market but in time to come, I highly doubt that line would continue.

It will most probably be just the ET series and ART amplifiers towards the future. I'd be surprised to see any Classic or other series offered.

Best, RJ

[Truth71]

I'd respectfully differ on predictions about the future. It's been my experience that CJ will do most anything possible for all their vintage gear....within the limits of not being able to supply unique parts specifically made for a particular model run. In fact, I believe their willingness to help with vintage gear is amongst the best in the industry. Going forward, I'd agree it appears unlikely that they will again devote resources to "entry" level components....but in today's audio scene, that is likely a matter of pure survival. On the other hand, it can be argued that Porsche did "save" the 911 by building the "budget" Macan and Cayenne....so like many things...stay tuned

[AnotherJohnson]

I would like to believe you’re right.

I certainly agree that no one in the industry supports their legacy products like CJ.

Krell is very good too, or at least they were. Ray Mutchler was like Jeff Fischel, always willing to have a go at bringing legacy products up to original specs if possible.

My experience has been that CJ legacy products have higher quality parts, and hence tended to be more expensive to restore.