Alex's CJ System

[mstrshikadance]

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My system includes:

- Premiere Eleven which powers my Altec 806-8A with H811B Horns

- Sonographe SA-400 which powers my Fostex FW305 12" Woofers

- PV15 Preamplifier

- PV3 which I am using solely as a Phono-stage through record out

- Denafrips Pontus II DAC

- ifi Neo Stream over I2S to DAC

- Audio-Technica AT-650 SUT

- Pro-Ject Classic Evo with upgraded platter and Denon 301Mkii Cartridge.

- Power cables are all Audioquest mid range

- Cables are either Audioquest midrange or self made Belden or Canare COAX with Switchcraft RCA.

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- SPEAKERS are DIY with whitewashed Veneer, vintage Altec horns mentioned above mounted above Fostex Woofers.

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[admin]

Very cool.

Great looking setup. So you are basically biamping?

What do you think about the Denafrips DAC? I was looking at that when I was considering a DAC upgrade a little while back.

[mstrshikadance]

Yes to Bi-Amping. Having the SA-400 control the woofer/bass really allows the P11 to sing through the horns. The top end plays at ease and with delicacy since the P11 is barely being pushed. I also play loud.

Love the Denafrips. I just upgraded from the Ares II DAC and there was a noticeable improvement. The difference between this DAC and other chip based DACs is that the Denafrips R2R DACs just don't sound as harsh. No other way to describe it. The music sounds much more natural and not as sharp in the mid range/top end. So long as youre not into MQA, Denfrips are great bang for your buck.

[mstrshikadance]

I would really love to upgrade my phono stage to a dedicated product, but the CJ phono stages are a little out of my budget considering their cost relative to the other components in my system.

[admin]

Very nice. I too have found something special about R2R DACs. I personally went with the Holo Audio May KTE edition DAC.

The new CJ phono preamps are amazing, but as you mentioned,... expensive.

Again, great setup, congrats.

[AnotherJohnson]

Very nice system! Congratulations!

[Big Dog RJ]

Nice one matey!

Now that's an absolute classic CJ system. I bet that Prem11 is driving those horns at a mighty fine level.

The PV15 is a fantastic preamp! I really enjoyed my time with it, and the Mullard M8080 tubes are highly musical. It's one of those addictive sounds, totally engages you in the music straight away... nothing to concentrate on, just effortlessly reproduced.

Great choice to have the big Sonographe drive the LF drivers. This looks like a really well thought out system, carefully put together over the years. Like I've said, putting together any highend system is an Art form, it takes years!

Well done mate, cheers and enjoy those fine tunes!
Woof! RJ

[Big Dog RJ]

Btw, A very merry Xmas to all from Melbourne!
RJ

[mstrshikadance]

Btw, A very merry Xmas to all from Melbourne!
RJ

I live in Los Angeles now, but actually grew up in Melbourne.

Happy holidays to you!

[Noventa98]

Love the Denafrips. I just upgraded from the Ares II DAC and there was a noticeable improvement. The difference between this DAC and other chip based DACs is that the Denafrips R2R DACs just don't sound as harsh. No other way to describe it. The music sounds much more natural and not as sharp in the mid range/top end. So long as youre not into MQA, Denfrips are great bang for your buck.

Very interesting. I am still on the fence regarding a DAC and I am considering the Ares 2. Did it combine well with your CJ gear? How did it fare with classical or jazz music?

[BendBound]

The PV15 is a fantastic preamp! I really enjoyed my time with it, and the Mullard M8080 tubes are highly musical. It's one of those addictive sounds, totally engages you in the music straight away... nothing to concentrate on, just effortlessly reproduced.

Nice to read this favorable view on the PV15 LS. Thank you.

I've been using one since 2008. This LS did develop a noisy left channel unrelated to valves, corrected by changing some matched parts (honestly cannot remember what they were). Prior, I sent the unit back to CJ for their C1 Teflon capacitor upgrade. The M8080 NOS matched tubes are replaced about every two years, depending on how much I use it. A dead quite LS.

My phono preamp is a Whest PS.40RTD SE, solid state.

Since then, however, I have moved through several CJ amps, now using the MF-2550 SE.

I see CJ introducing new preamp and power amps, and if a dealer was close I'd be tempted to bring one home to try. But overall, I like the way my system sounds and other folks who hear it, think it sounds quite good.

My speakers are the modular Spacial Audio Lab X2.

[admin]

BendBound,
Welcome to CJO, great to have you withus.

Congrats on the system. Sounds very cool. The Spatial Audio speakers are really an interesting design with that lack of "box" in a box speaker.

[BendBound]

BendBound,
The Spatial Audio speakers are really an interesting design with that lack of "box" in a box speaker.

Thank you. The X2s are the last major change to my system, purchased in 2018. Since 1985, my speakers were Ohm Walsh 3s, with John's upgraded drivers in 2012. I liked the way no matter where you were in my listening room, the music sounded really good. For a time, I also owned B&W DM601 Series 2, sold to a friend.

When I was looking for new speakers, I surveyed a universe of options, there are so many. When I could, I would listen to them at audio retailers in Seattle and Portland. Along the way, I read about Spatial Audio and its founder Clayton Shaw. When I was traveling through Salt Lake City in late 2017, where his factory is set up, I arranged for a visit. In hand, I had a suite of music to listen to, and my wife. The speakers he was manufacturing at that time included the smaller M3s, which I was considering. As soon as the music began on something we were both familiar with, my wife said, these are good and better than what you have. Of course, without a direct A/B comparison, that is not a fair shootout. By the time I was ready to buy the speakers, Spatial Audio had released the X2s, quite a bit higher up in price point, but I purchased them with the caveat that I could return them.

I told Clayton what my choices were coming down to, which included Harbeths larger models and some other options. He said of the Walsh 3s and Harbeth that those are terrific neutral sounding speakers that minimized the "box" sound. He knew his speakers and could discuss strengths and weaknesses of each. Of course, he would contrast that with 'his' sound. I told him the dimensions of my room, which is just under the Golden Mean, and showed him images of my room and stereo set up. At any rate, I purchased the X2s, asking him to put time of the speakers before he shipped them, which he did.

Once set up, I have to say I was most pleased. Really a beautiful large detailed full sound in my space. The sound stage is absolutely terrific. When I think of components to change out or upgrade, these speakers are not on the list.

[Big Dog RJ]

Certainly sounds like you're enjoying those fine tunes!
That's what it's all about.
Nice combination on the pre-power btw, the PV15 with the MF2550SE, definitely a clean quiet LS with a solid power house! I've got a pic of the MF2550SE just before I sold it... can't have it all can we?

Cheers mate, have a good one.
Woof! RJ

[BendBound]

Nice combination on the pre-power btw, the PV15 with the MF2550SE, definitely a clean quiet LS with a solid power house! I've got a pic of the MF2550SE just before I sold it... can't have it all can we?

Looks like we are both using the same CDP too! Esoteric.

[Big Dog RJ]

Nice combination on the pre-power btw, the PV15 with the MF2550SE, definitely a clean quiet LS with a solid power house! I've got a pic of the MF2550SE just before I sold it... can't have it all can we?

Looks like we are both using the same CDP too! Esoteric.

Ah! So you're using Esoteric, that's mighty fine!
My quest for the ultimate digital playback system took nearly 6yrs. Around 2014 I settled on a McIntosh SACD player MCD301. Prior to that, I had Wadia, Merridian, Aragon Dac, Meitner Dacs, the CJDV2B (best of all! but way outdated...), Cary and an ARC Ref series cdp which caused a lot of issues. The Mac SACD player beat them all, both in terms of playback quality and build. It was like a tank! So, I based my benchmark on the Mac sound & build quality, and wanted something to beat it overall by 40% at least thereabouts. I auditioned quite a few from 2014 to 2020; Mac's new line up MCD501, MCD1100 plus, ARC, Cary, YBA, Rockna, and Electro-Comp (EC).

The ESO line wasn't even on my radar... until I happened to come across it at a private demo using very high end gear. The moment I listened to it, I knew that was it! However, the price tag was way over my humble finances and these were the top of the line series. Few months later the ESO importer for Aus got in contact and mentioned that there was a new K0-XS series coming out and the pricing wasn't too shabby, so I grabbed it! It's not in the ESO high end line but it suits me just fine, and it's a superb SACD player, the K07-XS. I have tried the clock G-01X and it was damn fine but it costs 20grand down unda. So this will be my next upgrade if I ever wanted to go there, as far as the other top tier ESO digital playback systems are concerned, they all start at 30grand upwards... so I'll probably not go there. I believe the clock is the most significant upgrade if one was to consider a serious upgrade. The transport mechanism and DAC chip sets on the K0-XS series are excellent! Although these models are now discontinued to make way for the new XD series, the level of improvement does not meet my personal benchmark of 40%. Whereas the clock does!

Of course with the ESO line sky's the limit! You can go for separate DAC's in mono config for each channel but that's around 60grand and above depending on the config... The top of the line Grandioso XD1 is a supreme playback system, it's like the mother-ship of all. This was the only one that exceeded my 40% but it starts at around 65grand depending on the DAC chip sets you can customize. For those who can afford this level, I would say go for it but the rest of your gear has to be ultra-high-end, otherwise there's no point.

Cheers mate and enjoy those fine digital tunes!
WOOF! RJ

[Big Dog RJ]

Alex's CJ system with the PV15 and Premier 11A, like I said is a true CJ Classic! That combination is highly engaging with a high level of musicality.
This is what it's all about! Once you've reached that level, it's very hard to surpass it. System gear will evolve and you can certainly go for the ultra-high-end as sky's the limit. However, with the ultra-high-end there's always one more round the corner and the vicious cycle of upgrades continues...
"Enjoying the music" is what I get with CJ's older gear, and it fits within most modest budgets, and with a few mods and tweaks, you can achieve fantastic results without going overboard in finances. Once it's reached a supreme level of synergy, recreates all the nuances from your favorite recordings and simply plays back music in its intended way, that's it! Just sit back and enjoy those fine tunes!

Most of the latest gear is very very neutral sounding now (not to my preference), a few tweaks and internal mods have been done and the price tags are phenomenal! or at least they are down unda... The starting point at the high-end now hovers around 50grand upwards, so forget that! There are far more important things in life other than the latest pre-power combinations. So I'd never go there, although last Oct I nearly did!

I'm sure with Alex's CJ system and many others who've built there's around the Classic CJ sound will be listening to their music for endless hours... so cheers to that!
A mighty WOOF! RJ