ART 108A amp

[AnotherJohnson]

Interesting. The price of the 108a's is truly up there. Tubes are very expensive now but I wonder how much of an issue it is for a potential buyer who is willing to spend $70k on that amp. Over here in the states is a more "modest" $48k, but still, the air gets thin at these heights. I'm sure the 108a's sound amazing and there are some people for whom "money is no object."

I think this is spot on. A guy who will spring for $48k monoblocks isn’t too worried about a few thousand here and there to keep it in tubes.

Solid State is not immune from supply chain issues either. When SS bites the dust, it bites it hard. I’m not ready to abandon tubes yet … and I’ve thought about this picture long and hard.

Before the current crisis ARC and CJ were selling their factory KT150s for big prices, and the hard core deep pockets guys were buying anyway. ARC was charging over $1000 for a matched quad.

[pfmccarthy]

I finally pulled the trigger on the Art108a. My local banker and I went in on it. Ha-ha.

For brand new, it sounds pretty good right out of the box. With all the Teflon caps, guessing 200 hours and above will have it sounding its best. I will keep you posted.

I had a small issue with a ground loop initially. Since I was running Lamm mono blocks before, this kind of surprised me. Between Jeff at CJ and Caelin & Grant at Shunyata, we resolved. Main culprit was the power supply of my tube based CD player.

[admin]

First, welcome to CJO. Great to have you with us.

And what an entrance I my add! Top of the line CJ! Can you give us a little more info? What are the other components in your system? What amp were you using before and how does the ART 108a sound compared? How did you come to making such a significant investment into the unit? We were are all very excited to hear about the release of the 108a but due to its rather high price its not currently attainable for the most of us. That means not a lot of real world experience stories with CJ's flagship unit.

Ground loops are common issues and I have had them in my system as well as components have come and gone. They are annoying and frustrating but can be narrowed down to the cause and then remedied. Glad you got yours sorted out.

Again, welcome to our group and a very big congratulations on the purchase!

[AnotherJohnson]

. Ground loop.

Glad you sorted it out.

I’d love to audition the ART108A. I wish there were a dealer within 200 miles of Nashville.

I’m sure they’re killer amps. Enjoy!

[pfmmx]

Hi everyone,

I am not a new member. Sorry for the confusion.

Due to a lack of sleep and a poor memory, I had difficulty logging in under my username - pfmmx . The issue is resolved. I sadly used the wrong email address for my password reset.

Concerning my new Art 108a's, this is a copy of my system from a post in April (slightly edited)

I am a tube guy. Even my CD player has a tube output stage.

Speakers are Rockport Avior2’s

Current amp is Lamm ML1.1.
-very nice foundational bass. Pretty strong for tube based 90 watts

I have a CJ GAT & a bunch of 6922’s. Amazing how you can change presentation.

Phono is a CJ Tea1S2

My Art 108a's have less then 100 hours on them. As mentioned before, they sound pretty darn good for new amps. As I get more hours on them and the teflon caps break in, I will give you an update. Slightly understated the cost to my wife (ha-ha) Separate banking accounts = marital bliss.

[pfmmx]

I forgot my turntable.

TW Acustic Raven AC with 3 motor set-up
Tri-Planer Mk Vll SE tonearm (carbon fiber)
VDH Crimson Stradivarius cartridge
Vintage Zeta tonearm with Grado Statement 2

[AnotherJohnson]

Sounds like it sounds like a great system!

Careful with Wifey … on the FJR forum 15 years ago I remember a guy whose wife signed up too just to see what he was up to.

But I do know what you’re saying, and can empathize.

There’s an old fisherman’s joke that can be summed up as

“My wife told me my obsession with fishing tackle and fishing boats had become so intolerably expensive that I was going to have to choose either fishing or her.

I’m sure gonna miss her. ”

[pfmmx]

Is there a spouse question on the forum sign up?

Could be very valuable for screening purposes and avoiding costly conflicts on the home front.

Like the fisherman in your story (very good by the way), I would miss her and what little is left of my bank account.

I hope you have a great holiday week-end! I see a beer or two in my future.

[admin]

Great system. I can't think of a better amp to put in it than the ART 108a. I think you are getting through the initial burnin.

I'm a tube guy myself and appreciate the unique sound. The 108a will augment all the other components in the system.

Let us know how things go when the final burnin period settles.

[Big Dog RJ]

Good stuff mate!
My trusted old mate in Spore said no where close to 200hrs... he's done about 500hrs now, and only now things are really taking off. He's driving his Alsyvox Botichelli-X with the ART108A's, and says things are "really taking off!"
That Class A power and all the Teflons plus Vishays take an awful long time. The same with my modded Class A amps, it took over 4 - 5 months to sound decent. About 8 months to a good year to really gel well with my stats. So all up, nearly over a year.

The ART108A's have a lot of high grade parts that require proper burn-in time and operating temperature. These things take a certain amount of time to reach their optimal thermal efficiency, once that point reaches it's pretty much better all the way. The thing is, we don't leave our tube gear on 24/7 as this will burn out the tubes! But it's this on / off start / stop cycle that interrupts the required burn-in process, so overall it takes time.

You should hear a good difference after the 200hr mark but you'll hear a very noticeable change after 500hrs.
All the best, RJ

[admin]

Not surprised that the 108a needs proper burn in time. Other CJ gear does as well. I typically don't run tube gear for burnin alone as I still tend to enjoy the sound in early stages as well. Plus it's always fun to experience the sound slowly improving as more time is put on the unit.

ART108A owners are a very luck breed indeed.

[pfmmx]

Back from a mini vacation at our little cabin up north. Nice to get away.

Thanks for insight on burn in on my new amps. That is a little longer then expected. The 108’s actually sound pretty good already. If there is major improvement to be had at 500 hours, it is something to look forward to.

The question of the day” How did RJ’s buddy get the nickname of Spore? Probably a good story lurking there

[AnotherJohnson]

I think when RJ talks of Spore, he is referring to Singapore.

[Big Dog RJ]

Correct!

Apparently the ART108A's are taking a trip around that region towards the main CJ importer for Spore. So with whichever dealer it finally ends up with, basically means it's sold because that's how Spore customers have been buying since the day I can remember. The very first time I landed there, this was going way back to the Prem8A's and ART preamp, driving the mighty Infinity's. A customer walked in by appointment of course... sat down, had a listen and after a few glasses of Red, he asked how much?! The dealership owner said xxx,xxx amount, and he swiped his card and walked out! Deal done!

There's hardly any bargaining or floosey footing around, if they like and want it, they just buy it! No questions asked.
Would be interesting to see where this pair eventually lands... I'll probably get to know about it anyway.
Now due to this, looks like my demo trip in Feb is out the windows, unless another pair of ART108A's are ordered... so won't be able to audition the ART108A's unless I visit this new owner, we'll see how it goes.

Cheers, RJ

[admin]

I wonder what percentage of CJ gets sold overseas. It may be a hard sell without the ability to audition. Especially with high priced high end units such as the 108a.

[AnotherJohnson]

Asian and European sales appear to be significant for the entire high end.

JF has told me at least twice that his major sales volume is from his flagship models.

If I were guessing, I’d guess that off shore sales are a very significant part of overall sales.

[Big Dog RJ]

In these regions / markets, pricing is not an issue. They do sometimes audition but most of it is based around price.
If the item isn't at a certain price point, they won't even consider an audition. The ART series are the only ones that just make the mark... they consider anything lower to be entry level.

These sort of buyers are looking at Aries Ceret, Destination Audio, DCS, MSB, Dan D's designs, R Koda systems, Constellation, CH Precision, Dartzeel, Lampizator, Von Sw speakers, Zellaton, Wilson, Alsyvox and so on... this is the ultra-high-end category and CJ just entered this level only with their top of the line ART series.

When it comes to high end tube gear, there's another whole level of ultra fine gear out there, like Aries Ceret and Kondo Audio Note. However, even at such exhorbitant prices, CJ and ARC still manage to hold strong, offering at a more competitive price range, and this is one of the reasons why CJ and ARC are considered in these highend markets. Otherwise they wouldn't bother considering these brands.

So our good mate, JF had to make that move upwards... in order to sustain the brand, plus the performance is top notch, so it's the ART series that makes the mark.

Best, RJ

[pfmmx]

Between work & traveling weekends to our small cabin up north, only putting a few hours on my Art108’s. Midrange has been great from the beginning. Imaging, soundstage & bass are really starting to come together. Probably have 150 hours on my amps. All good with the world & getting better.

If RJ wants to travel to Minneapolis for a visit, he is very welcome. The homestead is well stocked with beer, steaks & Irish Whiskey. February is a little on the cold side in Minnesota. Spring comes in June-ha-ha.

[Big Dog RJ]

Ah! Now that sounds like a great place to visit... beer, steaks and fine booze! Now that deserves a mighty WOOF!

I'm a bit too far from Min though... Oz is located down unda as you know... so Spore and the Asian region is the closest for my highend audio ventures.

Thought I'd just add a note: speaking of down unda; only a handful of top end gear is being sold... bought by mostly the educated ones who know about the highend. With the emerging Asian wealth that's going around in Aus, these chaps are mostly interested in flashy cars, and real estate not much interest in audio or music for that matter. They're inclined towards HT setups and have dedicated HT rooms in their homes. At quite a serious level I must say, 5.1 channel HT systems with projectors or huge LED screens that lower from the ceilings and drop down... speakers are all built in the walls, wiring etc , nothing sticks out. Most of the HT brands are either Yamaha, Devon, Marantz or NAD. Not even high end... only a very few use ML, Meridian, B&W and that line... so hardly a market really.

I'm not sure how the top end dealers are managing but I do know they move a lot of their low-end / entry level gear... hoping that's a start towards upgrading... but these customers buy only once and forget! They really don't bother with pristine quality or reference standards at all.

I guess we're the last of the Mohican's...
Cheers, RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

Minneapolis… demo’d REF 10 and didn’t float the boat?
Too run of the mill?
Bells and Whistles phobic?

I understand.

Call the ARC Avoidance Hotline at 703-698-8581 for a sympathetic ear, and CJ options heretofore unseen more than a day’s drive from Fairfax.