my first CJ component

[bpasok]

I recently added a CJ PV11 to my system and I am very pleased with the sound.... my system is a bit less sophisticated than many others on the gallery, but it is different enough that I thought I would share it....

my listening room is out in my shop...

[admin]

That's great. I love all that vintage gear. Do you have list of components?

[bpasok]

Several of the components are not in use, but the actual system consists of:

Linkwitz Orion speakers
CJ PV11 preamp (added remote volume into the tape loop)
Linkwitz analog crossover
4 ea. NC250MP NCore power amps (mids and tweeters)
2 ea. 300AS1 Icepower power amps (woofers)
NHT MA-1A power amp (subwoofer)
Hartley 224hs subwoofer in 21cf transmission line cabinet
Pioneer RT-707 reel to reel
Rega DAC
Yamaha P3 turntable with Sonus PME .5/LC cartridge
Grays and Monster line filters
dedicated computer for file server running JRiver (files remotely accessed from house)

The Fisher KX-200 is connected to the JBL L36 speakers on the back wall (these are rarely used)

the rest of the equipment is all functional and just there for viewing:)

[admin]

Is that the Rega DAC-R? If so, what do you think, I was looking into maybe getting one?

[bpasok]

it is just the Rega DAC (has all five filters).... I have not heard the DAC-R, but from what I read, they are pretty much the same.... I like the fact that it has a SPDIF outputs.... I like the sound.... I have compared it to a friend's Topping D90 and could not tell them apart.... I just compared it to another friend's Audio GD M7 and I think that the M7 was slightly better in some aspects, but not in others.... I also have a Burson D-160 and I prefer the Rega...

[bpasok]

I forgot to mention that it replaced my old Benchmark DAC 1..... overall it is quite enjoyable....

[AnotherJohnson]

My outbuilding listening room has evolved into a “clean” shop. I use it for lutherie, gunsmithing, reading, turntable setup, napping, and as a guitar practice room.

It’s good to get your money’s worth out of the space

[Big Dog RJ]

G'day maties from down unda...
We just came out of lockdown and I hadn't been to work since Thurs, so I'm back on Mon. Apart from the usual knee ailments and a stint of gout... I'm slowly recovering trying to get the weights and power lifting going, it helps!

So as I was scrolling through, I thought I'd revive this thread, since the OP posted Nov 2020, I think it's a great thread! So just to add my first interaction with CJ gear and ML Stats, it's been a very interesting journey indeed.

This is the edited version, don't want to bore you all too much.
Probably around 89/90 I visited an old chap who had Quads stacked on Gradient subs driven by the XS version of a Premier 11A and the PV12 preamp. The ESL 63's reproduced such a deep and wide soundstage, it was unlike anything I'd ever heard. Fwd a few years and I was in Chicago as a student listening to an unusual pair of Stats driven with tube monoblocks. Those were the ML SL3's, the Prem12's and a pv12, wow! Later that year that same dealer got a pair of full range stats, and phoned me up saying I must have a listen to these. So I arrived after a long drive to Naperville in my old Chevy Nova, it was around 11am and I didn't leave until 7:00pm, they had to literally throw me out!
Those stats were full range and curved from top to bottom, they had the most open, transparent and realistic soundstage I'd ever heard, these were the ML CLS IIz's, absolutely superb!

I was so transfixed that straight away I knew that was it!
The rest is history and we started our own dealership network to Sth East Asian customers spanning the region. Several systems came and went, many orders were placed, digital was taking off to great heights, we sold a lot of digital gear from Classe', Krell, Wadia, Meitner and Meridian CD players, including Aragon and Audio Alchemy DACs. It was great!

All sorts of panel and dynamic driver type speakers were ordered and sold from Quads, Maggie's, Apogee's, Paradigm's, Genesis, Infinity's, Celestion Ditton, and Thiels. They were all fantastic gear, and it was a real treat to mix and match gear and put together various solid-state systems for custom orders.

In the mids of all this, our primary tube gear offered at the time were mostly Manley Labs, VTL, ARC and CJ. We also offered Quad tube amps, Carver tube amps, and Golden tube audio (I think I got the name wrong).

Overall, one pre-power combination that always stood out in terms of fine tonality, naturalness and brilliant musicality was none other than CJ. There was just something about this combination that made them sound so supremely controlled with a beautiful warmth and sense of balance. No other gear could offer these three attributes all at once.

And so our first gear comprised of:
Pv12, PFR, Premier 6, ART preamp.
MV50, Prem11A, Prem12's, Prem8A's and the DV2B CD player. These were mostly partnered with either Apogee's or Maggie's. Fast fwd more years and sold off the business and migrated to Aus. Started all over again...

Built a system around CJ gear once again and went through nearly every model of CJ gear, from pv10, to 16LS, Classic SE, CT5, ACT2 and GAT on preamps.
MV 60se, Classic 60se, Classic 62se, CAV45 and Classic 120se, and prior to that LP66s, LP70s, LP140m, LP275m and onto the LP125m.

As a student I knew I'd never be able to afford a pair of ML stats or even the SL3's, CLS or Monoliths for that matter but I started out with a used pair of SL3's driven with a Krell integrated amp, using a Krell top loaded CD player, it was great but didn't have the warmth and musicality of CJ, no chance!

Fast fwd nearly two more decades and now I'm sitting in front of this!
Hot damn, what a wonderful journey it's been! Hard tough times, in and out of jobs and finally settled in as an Aus resident, was it worth it? Definitely yes! Would I do it all over, hell no!

Cheers maties, and enjoy those fine tunes!
Woofty woof'n!!! RJ

[admin]

World class system. Top of the line equipment and just a very clean setup. Doesn't get much better than that.

[Big Dog RJ]

Cheers Admin!

I'm sure your Maggie's are performing in another dimension, now that the ART amplifiers are settling in nicely. I was wondering how far an improvement you got when you did the cap upgrade on your PV12? That is if I'm correct that you did do the Teflon upgrade on the PV12... if so, have you also considered the Vishay resistor upgrades? They really take the performance level to great margins. The only thing is that these top grade Vishays are quite costly, and will out price the actual value of the PV12. Then again, if you were looking at keeping the PV12, that sort of upgrade is invaluable. Just like I did with my CT5. It's one of those preamps that has more Teflons and Vishays that you could possibly add into it, thanks to its deep chassis and simple layout, these upgrades were possible, that was my sole intended goal towards it, after having sold off the ACT2 S2.

Just a thought... for a possible upgrade on the PV12.

Cheers mate, RJ

[admin]

Hi RJ.

The ART amps took the entire system to a entire different level of performance. Much more than I could have anticipated so I was very fortunate to come across a local sale of the CJ ART amps.

I did not do a cap upgrade on the PV12. Like you said, the cost would probably exceed the value of the unit. Instead I am actively looking to upgrade the PV-12L with something higher up the chain (but obviously CJ only!). I was very close to getting my hands on a ET7 but unfortunately it fell through the last minute. Still actively looking for something on the used market at an attractive price point.

[AnotherJohnson]

If I'd realized you were really interested, I would have held it for you. Since we don't know each other face to face, I interpreted your response to my offer as less close to the last minute, and when the other fellow wanted it, I let it go.

On the bright side, at least I did egg you on to get the Art.

Right now there is very little modern CJ stuff being offered for sale. I hope this will change, but what I'm seeing is that a lot of the vintage stuff is not priced to sell right now, and so it sits.

I have no incentive to upgrade from my present system.

In the theme of the thread, my first CJ component was the PV5. I bought it for 50% retail from a fellow who had just bought it at Lyric Hi Fi less than a year before. He did not like it because it did not have remote control.

I paired it with an Electron Kinetics Eagle 2A, which at the time, was a really transparent solid state 100 wpc amp by John Iverson. If you google John, you will find a very interesting mystery associated with a great contributor to our hobby snuffed out all too early.

The preamp I was replacing with the PV5 was a McIntosh C22. The difference was startling ... in a good way. I became a CJ fan. That was in the mid 80s.

Today, after many iterations, trades, and trials, I have the ET7s2 and a pair of LP275Ms. While I'm sure that the GAT2 and ART 300 would be even better, I ask myself "what for?" I never leave my listening chair wishing that things were better. I always leave very satisfied, marveling at what can be extracted from my 50+ year old recordings. The biggest turning points that I can recall from recent years were the addition of the TEA1, the final upgrades to the LP12, and my discovery of the Lyra cartridges.

Linn always said to work the problem from the source forward.

I think the ET7 would have been as big a step for your system as the ARTs were. So ... I am hoping that another deal will come along for you.

I wish I had known that you were seriously interested. I should have waited, but when I get into a selling mode, I'm usually really focused on moving whatever it is that I've got for sale, rather than for finding it the best possible home.

Best, AJ

[AnotherJohnson]

FWIW, RJ's system is certainly very nice. It shares the characteristic with Bobby's that the speakers would seem to be very close to the wall.

Both RJ and Bobby really really really really really really really L-O-V-E their speakers, so it would appear that room placement guidelines may be trumped by other factors. The CLX Arts appear to offer marvelous ability to perform in an outstanding way even in circumstances that might not be considered optimal by the mathematicians and acousticians. So ... what else is new. Listening is more important proof than calculating.

[admin]

If I'd realized you were really interested, I would have held it for you. Since we don't know each other face to face, I interpreted your response to my offer as less close to the last minute, and when the other fellow wanted it, I let it go.

.....

I think the ET7 would have been as big a step for your system as the ARTs were. So ... I am hoping that another deal will come along for you.

I wish I had known that you were seriously interested. I should have waited, but when I get into a selling mode, I'm usually really focused on moving whatever it is that I've got for sale, rather than for finding it the best possible home.

Best, AJ

AJ,

No worries friend. You didn't do anything I wouldn't have done. Another buyer came along and said he would buy it before I committed. That is sometimes just the way it goes. I got real lucky with the ART amps and I just have to be patient. It's not the first missed opportunity on my part (and I'm sure it won't be the last). I'm keeping my eye open and with a little luck, another great opportunity will present itself... hopefully I'll be a little more proactive the next time.

[Big Dog RJ]

Hi RJ.

The ART amps took the entire system to a entire different level of performance. Much more than I could have anticipated so I was very fortunate to come across a local sale of the CJ ART amps.

I did not do a cap upgrade on the PV12. Like you said, the cost would probably exceed the value of the unit. Instead I am actively looking to upgrade the PV-12L with something higher up the chain (but obviously CJ only!). I was very close to getting my hands on a ET7 but unfortunately it fell through the last minute. Still actively looking for something on the used market at an attractive price point.

Nice one Admin, I'm sure you'll find a suitable preamp in time to come.

Speaking of ART amplifiers, another chap on another forum just closed a deal on both the ART's and an ACT2 to match with. Based on my recommendations / advice he went for this particular combination and wanted a bit of that golden glow / hint of caramel. Now, I forget what the speakers were... I think they were either Maggie 3.7's or Harbeths (need to check my messages) Anyway, he's absolutely thrilled! I can certainly imagine so.

The PV12 will still hold strong in every regard at its best. Obviously CJ's preamp designs have evolved over the decades and they have gotten far more neutral sounding. Basically they get out of the way and allow more of the music to flow... which is a good thing!
Cheers mate, all the best on your search
RJ

[Big Dog RJ]

FWIW, RJ's system is certainly very nice. It shares the characteristic with Bobby's that the speakers would seem to be very close to the wall.

Both RJ and Bobby really really really really really really really L-O-V-E their speakers, so it would appear that room placement guidelines may be trumped by other factors. The CLX Arts appear to offer marvelous ability to perform in an outstanding way even in circumstances that might not be considered optimal by the mathematicians and acousticians. So ... what else is new. Listening is more important proof than calculating.

Yes AJ, that's correct.
Sometimes photos don't quite do justice to the actual setting... the CLX's are actually over 5ft away from the front wall, and around 7ft apart slightly angled inwards. In my particular room, I can still bring them out further as I once did, which was around 7ft away from the wall. However, the bass energy lessens slightly or should I say that "whiplash" bass is less if they are too far away from the wall. This would be more suited for larger rooms and most would incorporate subs to add that extra layer of depth and weight. Within the right limits from about 4 - 6ft would be ideal to experience the CLX's true bass energy.

Whenever I get the chance to experience these in much larger room settings, partnered with the ART300's, that's an awe-inspiring moment of fine detail. The soundstage just expands beyond anything I've experienced but it doesn't go out of focus. It has a spell binding holographic affect, it's truly top notch!
That's been my reference to date, and with specific internal upgrades done on the amplifiers over a period of time, I'm very pleased with the results.

Might as well enjoy those fine tunes!
Cheers mate, RJ

[Big Dog RJ]

I was just going through the entire history of CJ and it's glory days, those first gear they introduced and those fantastic vintage amplifiers... something just caught my interest and I was wondering if anyone else had the same views:

In reference to their power supplies, I noticed that throughout the decades, CJ only and still uses to this day the EI Core type transformers and not toroidal trannys. No where in any of their gear have they ever used toroids and I sincerely believe that this contributes to a large factor of the robust and controlled sound of CJ amplification.

That effortless sense of drive, control, and finesse comes from EI core transformers and similar highend gear, only use EI core trannys. The Toroids are pretty good in the sense of very low flux leakage and much quieter and that sort of thing but they are no where near the fuller sound and current drive of EI core frame types. Those types of trannys are truly special and you will find EI core versions in nearly every type of true highend gear. Even the TEA2SE and TEA1 phono-preamps have EI cores, so this is the hallmark of CJ.

No wonder their power supplies are damn rock solid! They don't flinch one bit!

Cheers to CJ! And most of all, enjoy those fine tunes!
WOOF!!! RJ

[AnotherJohnson]

Yes AJ, that's correct.
Sometimes photos don't quite do justice to the actual setting... the CLX's are actually over 5ft away from the front wall, and around 7ft apart slightly angled inwards. In my particular room, I can still bring them out further as

You are too modest about your photographic skills. What you describe is exactly what it appears to be in the photos. Not too close to the corners, but close to the walls.

Enjoy!