new CJ owner

[afonso]

hi,


writing from Europe- Portugal.

just bought a Conrad Johnson premiere twelve monoblocks amplifier. ( factory export only or if you prefere european version...)

i think that makes me part of the owners forum....

now i need to get a CJ preamp...

regards

[admin]

Alfonso,
Wellcome to CJO!

Yes, I would definitely say you're an official member.

Congrats on the purchase. If you have time, perhaps you could post some pictures.

Again, welcome to the site!

[afonso]

Hi,


Just Bought a Premiere 14 and a EV1 To join the premiere 12...


Regards

[jeffreybehr]

From the c-j site:
"Introduced in December 1995

The Premier Fourteen was the first preamp in the conrad johnson Premier product line to offer remote control. The Premier Fourteen introduced conrad-johnson¹s innovative volume control employing a micro-processor to select combinations from an array of metal-foil resistors. This produces a stepped attenuator with 100 steps in approximately .7 dB increments. By controlling the two channels independently, balance can also be adjusted in 0.7 dB steps. Only the highest quality resistors are introduced into the signal path by the level control, resulting in a noticeable improvement in sound quality.

The audio circuit of the Premier Fourteen consists of a single triode amplifier direct coupled to a triode cathode follower. The low output impedance of the cathode follower permits the use of the Premier Fourteen even installations with long, highly capacitive amplifier interconnect cables without attenuation of the high frequency information and without softening transients. A zero feedback circuit ensures temporal accuracy and spatial detail.

The premier Fourteen was selected by many audiophiles and major magazine reviewers for their own personal use due to its superlative handling of musical transients, its dynamic range, and its very wide frequency response. This is the ultimate complement for any piece of high-end audiophile equipment.

Features: Inputs/Outputs ­ PH/AUX1, TUNER, CD, VIDEO, AUX2, plus two EPL loops for external processing or monitor and recording facilities. One pair of main outputs

Controls: Source Selector, EPL toggle, level, & power. Sources and EPLs directly accessible by remote. Balance by remote."

The preamp uses four single-triode 6GK5s, with a single-triode gain stage direct coupled to a single-triode cathode follower. That's followed by a 2-times-2uF/250VDC output-coupling cap. The HV supply is separately regulated (by channel) and output-filtered after an initial regulated supply that's common to both channels. Both the initial and the two final supplies have only film caps in them, probably c-j 'propylenes. NONE of the PS nor output-coupling 'propylenes is bypassed except the initial HV 'logpile' of four 30uF/400V 'propylenes.

Here...
http://digilander.libero.it/agostino.ma ... ier14.html
...is a long article on improving the '14; I did NOT read it all.

IMO, replacing both the output-coupling and the separate-PS 2uF caps would improve the sound considerably and be easy to do if you know how to solder. Simply replacing each 2uF cap with, say, a $45 MultiCap 'styrene would be clearly audible in a positive way. And you might be able to get by with only 2uF (instead of the original 4uF) in the output-coupling position, depending on the input impedance of your poweramp.

I have a schematic; e-mail me at jeffreybehr(at)cox(dot)net if you want one.

[afonso]

Hi,

Thanks. I have already send you an email for the manuals...

[afonso]

Alfonso,
Wellcome to CJO!

Yes, I would definitely say you're an official member.

Congrats on the purchase. If you have time, perhaps you could post some pictures.

Again, welcome to the site!

Photos here...


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