Is CJ still in business?

[tonye]

For the last three weeks I've tried to get a hold of the factory to order a set of tubes for my PV9.

Twice I sent them a request via the email tool... they have NOT replied.

When I call them at their phone number ( during their work hours ) I get a a message to use the web tool and there is no way to leave a message. Their phone number is 703.698.8581

So, HOW DO I GET A HOLD of the people over at the factory?

[admin]

I hear your frustration. This seems to be an unfortunate theme recently. I don't think there is any secret backdoor to get your message through to them. I think they are very busy and have limited staff for support. Not making excuses, just stating the general consensus.

Luckily, tubes can be bought from many reputable sources and there have been topics here on CJO on user recommendations for online shops that sell tubes. If I were in your shoes, I probably would be exploring buying the tubes from a retailer. The added bonus is that it will also save you money!

[AnotherJohnson]

This was posted by a dealer just the other day.

**************
I went to CJ this morning and spoke to Jeff.

He said that customers need to use to Contact Us button on their web site and that all fields must be filled out. The reason is so he knows what country of origin and has full name, phone number, and email so they can get back to them. If it is a foreign inquiry he said he would direct that to the Country Distributor to handle for them per agreements in place.

For us in the US I am a dealer so I encourage my customers to use me to make sure problems are solved.

This may not be what everyone wants to hear but that is what I am being told by CJ.

[AnotherJohnson]

This is the thread

https://www.conradjohnsonowners.com/vie ... php?t=2600

This is the location of the form

https://conradjohnson.com/contact/

[AnotherJohnson]

It is possible that CJ has no tubes to sell beyond what they’re using for new production.

I don’t know this, but it is a general problem right now. Tubes are scarce.

What are you looking for?

[tonye]

Well, it's nice to hear they are still alive... but

(1) I filled ALL the forms
(2) I'm in the USA
(3) I'm a returning customer
(4) I have filled the form TWICE... submitted it. I got no errors in the submittal.
(5) I've called them THREE times and there is no way to leave a message.

Now call me an old fool, but if I'm gonna deal with a High End product I WANT TO TALK TO A PERSON. Heck I get better service when dealing with the Chinese vendors of cheap stuff over in Amazon.

I guess, I could search through my emails ( 25 years worth ) and find out the last time I spoke with someone over there -when I had the teflon caps put in.

Can you get "Jeff" to fire me an email?

BTW, I used Chrome and I've been on the Internet since it was DARPA net... with my own domain name since '97.. so I KNOW what I'm doing.

Dang... CRAPPY CUSTOMER SERVICE. Even the IRS is better at this.

[tonye]

I'm looking for a set of tubes for a PV9, including the phono preamp.

[AnotherJohnson]

I feel your pain.

There was a time when I would carry water for CJ, but that time has passed.

I too find it disconcerting that simple inquiries, by the form, email, or phone, are not being properly fielded.

If your business is selling five figure audiophile components, you need to be attentive to customers.

You are not the first to point out that CJ is not providing customer support on vintage units.

Parts are scarce. Tubes are scarce. Competent help is scarce.

But those are excuses, and excuses will eventually lead to the demise of the excuse maker.

[AnotherJohnson]

So you want

Replacement Tube Set RT9
V1 & V2: 12AX7 | V3, V4, & V6: 5751 | V5 & V7: 5965

Faster and cheaper to go to other suppliers, but no guarantees that they will be available. Tubes are scarce.

I had offered a set of 16 NOS Upscale Audio platinum grade no cryo KT120s for a price of 75% of current retail.

After dealing with tire kickers for a while, the tube market tanked further and I’ve pulled them back to save them against the day when availability either improves, or disappears.

Quality tubes are looking like money in the bank.

[AnotherJohnson]

FWIW trying to trade ANY CJ gear to anyone but a CJ dealer or the factory has become nearly impossible.

No one who isn’t a CJ dealer wants to touch them with a 10’ pole. The quirky charm (the problems), including the antiquated insistence that single ended is the only way to go, has made it very difficult to get out of CJ gear. You have to find a true aficionado to do a trade or sale, or you have to drop price to levels that most owners who are selling find nearly impossible to accept.

All tube gear may be going this way… but CJ is leading in this undesirable category.

I’m sure I’ll pi** some people off with this assessment. But I’m not new to this rodeo.

I’m not a McIntosh fan, but I’m jealous of their ability to hold prices on used gear to levels that other marques just dream about.

[AnotherJohnson]

On the bright side for you is the fact that the PV 9 has been supported for about 30 years. There aren’t many audio components that are supported that long by their factory.

[AnotherJohnson]

My own CJ ownership has included

PV5, PV8 with CJ-D Teflon cap upgrade, PV11, ET3SE, ET7(2), ET7s2, MF2200 (2), MV52, MF2275, MF2550SE, LP275M (2), TEA2MAX HG, TEA1, CA150, maybe some others.

It was my favorite marque for 35 years.

[tonye]

I had an ARC D70-II redone recently over at George Meyer AV up in West LA ( they have the tubes) but for the CJ I've always gone back to the factory, ever since the one time I had a guy up in the SF Valley tell me he could fix it... he did, but took him like 2 months to get the part.

Besides, it is very nice to deal with those people. Or it used to be.

They need to understand that these are expensive items and customer service is extremely important. The fact they support 30 year old preamps and offer upgrades -the teflon caps are awesome- is fantastic.

And the PV9 drives my First Watt F4 really well. Otherwise, I might have gone to an ARC preamp by now.

My current tube set is working fine but I figure that it's about time for a replacement set and I've always ordered those from the factory.

[tonye]

Oh, sure my PV9 has lasted me that long.. and still works fine.. BUT, it's like Grand Pa's ax.

I had three issues over the years:

(1) resistor went out on left channel. Fixed in a shop in the SF Valley...
(2) diode in power supply went out. Shipped to the factory, they did a complete rework.
(3) diode in power up mute circuit went out... Shipped to the factory... they did a complete rework and added the Teflon caps.

Upgraded the Teflon caps too!

So, I bought the preamp used, six months old. for $2000 and by now I figure I have another $3500 in repairs and upgrades... plus the tubes...

Mind you, I expect such things to last with proper maintenance... I have stuff that I bought new in the 70s, 80s, 90s that works fine today. Some of the vintage have been fully rebuilt by now ( to OEM standards ) but they work flawlessly.

It's like I told the salesman when I was buying one of my many Sony XBRs over the years.... he was trying to sell me an extended warranty: "Look, if I figure I needed a warranty I wouldn't be buying a Sony XBR, right?"

So, I expect my PV9 to keep trucking for another 30 years. I like the way it sounds.

[tonye]

So, bottom line.. HOW DO I GET A HOLD OF CONRAD JOHNSON?

[AnotherJohnson]

So, bottom line.. HOW DO I GET A HOLD OF CONRAD JOHNSON?

I think it’s pretty obvious. You keep trying, knowing that CJ has said that the form submission is the path that works (in spite of the evidence to the contrary).

Or you contact a dealer and ask them for help (they appear to be ahead of customers in triage).

Or you knock on the door.

Other than a dealer, none of us have the secret door knock or secret back channel. There are some dealers who post. Look at the dealer locator on the site and pick one near Fairfax. Or maybe try High Performance Stereo (Steve Javaherian). Steve might be a good bet. He’s in South Florida, but is well regarded by his customers (including me).

If you fill out the form again, don’t mention the PV9. Instead express interest in buying an ART 88 and pair of ART 108As. Maybe that will move you up in the queue. I’m only partly being facetious.

The problem at CJ is that there’s no specific customer service staff. The woman who used to answer the phone was never more than a router. There’s no one to route to but Jeff. He can’t clone himself. And there may be a few hourly techs on hand on any given day, but Jeff’s the only guy who can tell you what’s going on … and he may be using his instincts for triage. How many calls a day can he take about tubes that aren’t available?

[AnotherJohnson]

Keep in mind that this board is not run by, nor sponsored by, the factory. It is a labor of love supported by admin’s gracious spirit of generous hospitality. Responders here are generally hobbiests who’ve had a long love affair with CJ, and a few who have been (or currently are) dealers.

The regulars post out of a passion for CJ. The ones who don’t come as often are often working the same problem you’re working.

[AnotherJohnson]

I had an ARC D70-II redone recently over at George Meyer AV up in West LA ( they have the tubes) but for the CJ I've always gone back to the factory, ever since the one time I had a guy up in the SF Valley tell me he could fix it... he did, but took him like 2 months to get the part.

Two months is not so bad. The problem today is that CJ will not sell parts to service techs or customers. They also won’t provide schematics.

The days of a nice chat on the phone and quick resolution to your problem are over and have been for several years.

[tonye]

I understand that about the people in this site. Indeed it is that independence that makes the site valuable: it is not a shill for the manufacturer. I honestly appreciate it, thanks.

So, I found out two places "freeway close" in SoCal that have the tubes but they both noted that they can not support tube rolling advice, they recommended that I find out from "my" dealer or the manufacturer....

Now then, the dealer I bought my preamp from is looong out of business so that won't work and I have been supporting the factory with my money... I mean, the last repair/upgrade was $2000 three years ago. That is not small peanuts, huh?

Mostly, if CJ doesn't have the tubes, then all I need is a recommendation for what kind of tubes to put in.... that's all. It shouldn't take very long to do that... but to be ignored is not a good thing to do.

BTW, one of the local dealers mentioned that they've heard about the problems with CJ's support, so that can not be good at all for the business!!!

Bottom line, for me, is that I'll buy the tubes from some local place. Meanwhile, my decision to move forward with the construction of a DIY Pass BA-3 based full function balanced preamp is correct. That preamp will replace the PV9 -in a few months- because of support issues. I will keep the PV9 in some back up function in my office or bedroom systems but if the factory is not going to properly support their products, well, that sucks. I might even buy a used ARC balanced preamp LS17SE because those things are supported. (*)

You know, I used to own an Alfa Romeo. I went to Honda/Acura after that and I've been happy ever since. As a consumer, I expect some level of support from the manufacturer, commensurate with my expense. I don't buy Porsches or Rollers but neither do I buy used diesel Chevettes. I don't expect free espresso and croissants at the service center but I also don't expect to be ignored because I'm not bringing in buckets of cash.

CJ used to have great support, I don't know now. I suppose that getting a nice, used Premier One is out of the question now. And the manufacturer needs to remember that a healthy resale market supports the new product market.

(*) I should note that recently I got an over the top designed and improved DIY Pass Pearl 2 phono preamp, so I'm no longer using the otherwise awesome PV9 phono section with its teflon caps.... the FET preamp has full adjustability and a Bill Of Materials that would be impossible to justify in a commercial product below five figures. I note this because it seems that today we have to take matters into our hands and not rely on the manufacturer any more.

[tonye]

Their FAX NUMBER is not working?

So, I got the work order sheet that I downloaded from their website and filled it out... figuring I'd try their fax number:

conrad-johnson design, inc.
2800 Dorr Ave., Fairfax, VA 22031
phone 703-698-8581, fax 703-560-5360

We already know that their phone is just a message to use the web. Useless really.

So, I tried to use the fax. NO ANSWER.

I'll try it later, but this is becoming a joke.

I've sent an email to one of the two nearest dealers they have... Chino... the next one is in La Jolla (by San Diego).... we'll see.