Conrad Johnson Owners.com

hello like minded audio fans well this is my first time in any forum and when i get to typing fast my computer is a bad a speller as i am. now i got that out of the way heres some random stuff about me oh and i also have the worst ADHD for a adult I've ever seen and don't even try and tell me its a fake condition because its real they just haven't given it the right name or figured out how it totally works and if you find that last part a little sharp I'm sorry its just one of thoughs things, any way back on track i became a audio fanatic very young my parents always had a bad ass stereo and a LP collection to die for. me i didn't really no what a bad stereo was till id go to my friends house and hear theres and i couldn't figure out why it always seemed like the music was missing things(like instruments,depth,and texture) but i figured it out later. I've tried to be a musician but couldn't get a grasp on the whole thing so after 15 years of trying i gave up and when back to doing what i enjoy the most, listening just listening with know one else around to ask questions or jabber about the stuff i really don't care about when I'm getting into a good album but again something was wrong, missing at first i couldn't figure out i got the 90's pioneer receiver and infinity speakers and technics turn table and after a year of listening to other components at the local second hand store it stuck out like a sore thumb. A pair of speaker cabinets with a familure brand name from my child hood(i know its a cj forum so this will make sense soon) McIntosh there it was so i put a down payment on them and payed them off a week later and when i got them home and hooked them up not much improvement plus they just seemed dull like not right so i started researching the brand name and wow intimidation city the first thing i noticed was the gear from when i was a kid then reality BOOM the price tag but i thought oh well i just have to start saving. a year had past and got my self a mq 101 to go with my speakers and a mc2105 amp for the power end of things and as good as it sounded there still something missing. To this day i can't say why but i was walking by the old second hand store with know intentions of going in but something pulled me through the door like a magnet so i said to my self ok lets have look around and after about 5 mins or so i seen the owner tinkering with a little gold'ish colored piece of equipment behind the counter and it intrigued me so I walked over and asked what he was trying to fix or break or what ever because if you ever shop here you know what i mean any way he said its tube pre amp and i said tubes huh I've heard tubes are the way to go but I've never owned any tube gear and i don't remember what it sounds like(at that time i hadn't heard tubes sense i was 10) and he said well let me get this thing working and ill let you hear it. so i asked how much he wanted for it when its fixed and he replied 500 bucks so i gave him 200 and said call me when its done so i got the brand and the model number off it, a conrad johnson pv2. so over the next month or so i started researching the brand and model by reviews and the company web page which made me happy because there still around and making equipment. well after about a month or two i got the call to come get it so i did and he offered to demo it at the store and i said no its ok ill check it out at home. so i get home get it all hooked up and let the stereo power up and sit idle for 10 minutes and by this time its 8 at night so put on dark side of the moon LP on and sat back, and thats when happened like a lightning bolt to the head there was the missing component its like someone or some thing took over my stereo and i went into outer space till i had to flip the record. at first no words could describe what i had just experienced except for yes thats it i found it and sense then my pre amp has been the same pv2 but way rebuilt and upgraded and I've become a crazy tube rolling freak of sorts and i have been looking at cj mono blocks lately any way I'm out of juice for now i hope this isn't too much for a first sit down in the forum.

Welcome to the forum jbot!

Awesome story. That's kind of how CJ hits you. Once you hear it and realize, WOW! Now that's music to my ears.

and its kinda hard to explain but one thing is for sure I'm a cj fan for life and the crazy thing is i recently got it back from a full on over haul and power supply mod and old british tubes don't sound as good any more now it really seems to like the cleaner tubes i went from brimar 6060 yellow T's and the mullard mc1 to the tele ecc803s and amprex e180cc its weird but i don't mind maybe after some break in time it'll relax a little bit it doent seem as laid back as it was but on a side note I'm hearing things i haven't hear before and it kinda reminds me of when i first got it and I'm glad you liked the story because there a lot more where that came from sense then I've buying more gear and tubes and even started a audio club and started designing and building speaker cabs. Audio can be such an amazing journey.

Give it time to break in. I am sure she will settle down and relax. The tubes will have to settle in and break in too. Just enjoy it.

can do, thanks joeinid

jbot5000,
Welcome to the site, very nice to have you. I love hearing stories about how people were introduced to CJ or high end audio in general. Would love to see some pics of your system.