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-   -   Conrad-Johnson ART 27A (https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=49722)

Coppy 03-28-2021 08:19 PM

Conrad-Johnson ART 27A
 
To quote C-J President Jeff Fischel... "The ART27A is all about finesse! The goal was to design a power amp without compromise. The ART27A's beauty is apparent even at low to moderate listening levels".

C-J's Preamplifiers are legend. Maybe this is this their first no limits amplifier, it's certainly the first Class A effort. Thirty six watts of incredible sound.

No trouble driving my Wilson Yvettes to ear splitting levels. Beautiful.

Formerly YB-2 03-28-2021 09:01 PM

Thx for the comment. Not enough good tube info with Wilson speakers.

ppsa 06-15-2021 07:07 PM

Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the 27A. How’s the journey progressing with it? I am contemplating between the 27a and a 211 based SET design. Tried to sell my CJ pre but no luck so decided to keep it and make the most of it. Cheers

Coppy 06-15-2021 08:44 PM

Hey ppsa,

The ART 27A continues to be excellent. I no longer wonder if this amplifier or that would be better. I call it The Amplifier I didn't know I needed. Plenty of power and unbelievable sonically. I spoke again today by email with Jeff at
c-j. he tells me the amplifier sells itself when people hear it. The are about to set up another production run for the ART27A. Good luck.
As a fellow at a car dealer told me a few years ago... don't drive that car, you'll have to have it. He was right.

Puma Cat 06-15-2021 09:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coppy (Post 1039935)
Hey ppsa,

The ART 27A continues to be excellent. I no longer wonder if this amplifier or that would be better. I call it The Amplifier I didn't know I needed. Plenty of power and unbelievable sonically. I spoke again today by email with Jeff at
c-j. he tells me the amplifier sells itself when people hear it. The are about to set up another production run for the ART27A. Good luck.
As a fellow at a car dealer told me a few years ago... don't drive that car, you'll have to have it. He was right.

Jeff also told me that it is the amplifier he uses in his own personal system.

ppsa 06-16-2021 05:56 AM

The retail price here in Australia is $33k(usd25.4K) a lot more expensive than in the USA. One unit available in the country but need to fly 1900km to hear it in person.

audio5 07-25-2021 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puma Cat (Post 1039938)
Jeff also told me that it is the amplifier he uses in his own personal system.

Jeff the Owner/chief Tech is a nice person;I had the opportunity to talk to and visit his business and listen to some jazz in his listening area, room 13.5x18 feet long.
He had ART 27A which was connected ET7 preamp, Zelton ref II speakers(170K for you faint of heart) and some expansive white color German speaker cables and interconnect( ScherZinger??$$$); sound was sublime, wide sound stage, details,cimbals,brush that i have not noticed with my own system that is no slouch(AR ref160,Ref6,Focal scala V2,,MT 5,MCD 350,Niagra5000 with hurricane power cables).
Music was playing at moderate volume and jeff told me it has not even hit 10Watt ,that is when Tubes change from amber to Red; amp has 36Watt.
I was so impressed that I ordered one on spot and waiting for delivery in next few days.
So,if you are jazz, instrumental, pop music fan, give it a listen, I am sure you would not be disappointed.
Sami
Sami

audio5 07-25-2021 01:29 PM

source was Aurrender N10

Coppy 07-25-2021 02:34 PM

I should add, the ART27A, the "Amplifier I never knew I had to own", replaced a relatively new c-j ART150s. That unit replaced my beloved LP140 mono blocks.
It took me about five minutes to hear the additional dynamics, detail, clarity and timber the ART27A offered. And, that was new out of the box... before any break in.

Although not inexpensive, you are not paying additional for all the fancy casework some makes emphasize. It is immediately apparent when you see the ART27A that extra quality has gone into the finish of this amplifier.

Good luck Sami, you're going to love the new ART27A!

Bob

audio5 07-25-2021 03:17 PM

""It took me about five minutes to hear the additional dynamics, detail, clarity and timber the ART27A offered. And, that was new out of the box... before any break in."
Bob[/QUOTE]

Thank you Bob,
Exactly, How I felt sitting in director chair in his listening room,as music was played and Jeff had turned off all lights.
after listening for3 minutes, I made up my mind and asked him to play some pop/vocal/trumpet/Coltrane, miles Davis and he asked "do you want me to change it mid song; off course he is also a jazz aficionado.
The ART 27 A was set up for me within few days; He told me he has few more assembled but need testing before delivery.,
My AR160M amps are one year old and I also have MC 1.2KW but ART27A is
really special for clarity, detail ,dynamic and sound stage.
I told Jeff the Zelton speaker could fatigue me for extended listening but my focal scala has sensitivity of 92dcb vs 91,so all was good to proceed with amp purchase
sami

audio5 07-25-2021 04:16 PM

sorry duplicate post.

Famester V1 06-19-2022 09:34 PM

I traded my Krell FPB 450mcx monos into Conrad-Johnson LP260m monos and then finally for single C-J ART27 tube amp. I also traded up to the ET7 Pre-Amp
I have done a bunch of upgrades all at once, so it is hard to say if any one piece made a huge difference, but I can easily say, I am FLOORED at how great this system sounds. I have no doubt that it was mainly due to the ART 27A and the ET7 pre-amp.
Awesome!

zettelsm 02-18-2024 11:40 PM

Bumping this along. . . it's all true.
 
Hi y'all,

The comments about the ART27A are absolutely true. I took delivery of a single-owner lightly used one about two weeks ago and it's been hard to tear myself away ever since it got here.

It is quite the over-achiever. While I'm currently downsizing my system it is doing quite a good job driving my Wilson Alexx speakers, having taken over from a pair of D'Agostino Momentum M400 mono blocks.

Does the ART27A have the relentless grip and slam of the M400s? No, but it has a wonderful clarity and humaness to how it plays music that makes everything sound natural and breathtakingly present and real. And it's got a really big helping of that triode 3D soundstage going on too.

And the bass control really isn't much of an issue for me -- I have two stacks of 3 subwoofers to augment the lowest octaves and after playing things like Brian Bromberg's "The Ballad of Harrison Crabfeathers" I really don't think I'm missing anything important.

The ART didn't force the D'Agostinos out, but it made my decision to list them easier. The ART27A is indeed a very special amplifier.

Now I'm going to add the matching ART88 preamp!

Steve Z

Coppy 02-19-2024 05:19 AM

Hey Steve,

Your comments are absolutely fascinating to me. As you can see, I also have the companion ART88 preamp and am extremely charmed and pleased by that unit as well. As a Wilson/C-J owner, I always wondered what my rig would sound like with those big D’Ag monos and some of the new Sasha Vs. I took a risk when moving to much lower class A power from C-J’s big ART 150 amp but have never looked back. A pair of the competent B&W DB subs make the difference here. Please keep us posted on your journey.
Best,


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