My Humble Apology to CJ; I just did not know

[jahatl513]

I’ve always been a fan of CJ; had plenty of amps and pre’s, cherry picked the best of the best Premier 350, 12’s, 140, MF2500A, 2550, CA-200, 150, and the first two I have had 3-5 pairs of them at times, not to mention pre’s in the form of ET5, PV-12, Pre 17LS, LS2, Pre 16, 16LS2 and the last two have had about 4-5 of them..... an embarrassment of riches for most. When I switched to Wilson Sophia II speakers I never felt contented, kept moving from one ot the other like a sailor on leave with a years salary to burn, drunken and sober. I even had a ET7, Classic 120SE, ART 150 and sold them in pursuit. It did not end till I started listening to Pass Labs XA25. How could a small amp sound so good? Then a First Watt SIT-3, both under 30 watt amps bringing me the sound I wanted, at least for then. I left CJ, sold it all off in pursuit of not more but refinement of what I had.... you see, it was a lack of maturity of ear, or experiences, of sound. Then in pursuit of low wattage, better sounding music; more musically refined sounds; I found a 2a3 Stereo amp, a 4-7 watt gem using superb transformers, things just moved up a bit; what was better became even more so. Now,....the Tannoy Kensington’s came into play around the time of the First Watt SIT-3 and “what a change” in getting more out of sound, of amps, of everything. This was the pivotal turning point.
Tannoy Kensington GR’s changed my life. Here I had a speaker that gave me the details I wanted and needed. I sold the Sophia’s because I realized I’d exceeded the speakers capability and was not getting what these find amps could bring.
Eventually I started to think,...”what if I had these speakers when I had the ART-150, the GATs2, the Premier 12’s or any and all the other CJ gear? Ultimately understanding I was possibly wrong in my assessment that the CJ gear was not bringing the incremental details/increases I wanted for my dollars. Here is the sad truth for me. I was completely wrong. I thought I’d never sell those large Wilson 200lb dead weights, but I did and boy has perspective changed.

In my theorizing about my mistake, I talked myself into picking up a used GAT s1; no not my GAT 2 but a 1 would be close enough. I was right, it was an excellent choice. Soon I picked up a set of Premier 12’s, my favorite and my belief, the most reliable and well built amps to come around. In all this I was still testing my 2a3 amp with the CJ amps and have to say I never gave up on 2a3 sound; it is superb and something to contrast the CJ with. In my early rediscovery of the CJ wonderment on my TANNOY Kengington’s I saw a set of Triode Lab mono’s that I was convinced would be a Best of Best 2a3 mono’s. I decided to let go of my Premier 12’s wich were newly paid for by me and renovated by CJ w/ fresh Teflon, newer direct connected power cord, and binding posts, and internal wires; what a prize they were. Louis C has them now. On to the Triode Lab Mono Block 2a3’s,.. and yes they are amazing gems but I missed the complete power of the CJ gear. One day recently I saw a Classic 120SE with 20 hours on it for sale. The new amp stuff, and KT-120’s, Teflon, and that new build quality of CJ that is superb.

I’d cut this short to say that now I feel I’ve come full circle. I have realized the error of my way as I hear what is to me the best sound I’ve had ever.
I’m in love with CJ again and its not for just the new stuff. I grew tired of my sound because my Sophia’s were just not articulate in the way I wanted my sound to be; a mistake for getting them in the first place. Some may scoff, but my REVEL speakers before that were more articulate than my Wilson’s, and this is not to say the Wilson’s are no good; they are special for sure but just not what my ears wanted.

In closing I just wanted to say to Jeff F and crew at CJ. I tip my hat to your products. I am back as an advocate and a learned one at that. I just wish I could afford to try the ART 25 with the Tannoy’s as I’m sure I’d be working on a way to pay it off as well. Yes, this is humbling to say I was wrong, but happy to admit I was wrong and happily back with the CJ house of products.

[roberto]

Hola jahatl513,

We are in the same boat...I had almost the same history. I am back with CJ goods, and I do not know why I left CJ...remember that I was in a bad economical situation, and needed money because my mom was very sick. I sold my system. When I had some money for buying goods again, I bought other brands, and made my return in 2015. I can´t be more repentant for all those years that I was not listening to Conrad Johnson. I learned very well the lesson. Now I am back to heaven! Quality has no regret! And I am very pleased with what I am getting at this moment. I do know that there are better products than the ones that I own, but my ears are telling me, don´t do any change, do not move a thing. Just enjoy what you are listening...

Happy listening!

[roger]

Hi jahati513,
I am pairing Sophia 3 with Art 150 and ET7S2 and couldn't be happier with it. My next move is to upgrade to either a Sasha 2 or DAW. Sophia 3 is great but the metal dome has its limitation and the high frequency could be edgy at times even with CJ gears. The most recent upgrade is replace the speaker cable to Transparent Reference MM2 and swap out the E88cc input drive from Electro Harmonix to Philips. The cable makes the image more dimensional and tighten up bass quite a bit, also takes out some of the edges on higher frequency. While the Philips warms up the sound slightly. I am happy for now but still we can't defeat the physcial limitation from a metal dome to a silk dome used in later wilson's. I've always liked Wilson's and will continue to like it. However the current amp/preamp might ought grown the speaker capability and call for an upgrade. Anyway glad to hear that you come back for CJ after all these experiments and I am sure you won't regret. Happy listening.

[admin]

Life is a journey, not a destination. Maybe leaving CJ temporarily was not necessarily a bad thing. You gained experience and a greater appreciation for the sound when you were away. I think I'm totally hooked on CJ and don't see wandering off the beaten path but nonetheless, I wonder if there are other amps/preamps that I would also enjoy if I had the opportunity.

[jahatl513]

We are all inquisitive people. It could have been titled; “How Pass Labs led be back to Conrad Johnson, and happier than ever” or “How Tannoy Led me back to CJ”. Either way I was headed to Sasha DAW but took a u-turn to Tannoy so I’d be happy to hear about any other experiences. Love my CJ gear; love the Classic 120SE and GAT. Thanks everyone. I was apprehensive to post but really felt that I owed it to CJ to give my thoughts and experience.

[roberto]

Hola jahatl513, you are very welcome!!! Your knowledge and your musical taste is needed here too. Your comments and advices are very well accepted. Again, welcome back!

Happy listening!

[jahatl513]

Thanks all and stay healthy. Your words are appreciated.
JAH

[joeinid]

Welcome back!!!

Speaker and amp matching is paramount! My original GAT and ART monos on my Revel Studio2 was the most glorious combo that I’ve ever had/heard. I made many changes along the way but never reached that level of satisfaction again.

Live and learn.

I have some gear now that I love, the GAT2 and SIT3 among them. But I still lust for more.

[shlibotnik]

I was hoping with your range of experience with CJ that you could offer sage advice about the difference between the Premier 14 and Premier 17. I've owned the 17 previously and am looking to buy another (not the LS 2) but thought the 14 might be a viable alternative if it possesses the same sonic attributes as the 17. Any advice is much appreciated--thanks.