Vintage Conrad-Johnson

[RoadDawgWest]

I purchased the CJ Premier 14 preamp back in the late 90's. The preamp has great frequency response. Later I added the matching Premier 15 phono stage. This combination resulted in numerous enjoyable listening sessions. When I switched to the McIntosh C2200 I knew I would not be selling these pieces. These units stay in my system on the east coast along with my McCormack DNA1.

[Rafale]

Premier Fourteen Remote Controlled Line-Stage Vacuum Tube Pre-Amplifier

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.



4 X 6GK5¹s Replacement Tube Set RTPR-14)
Click above for technical info on this product or to purchase a replacement tube kit.

Specifications:

Gain: 25 dB
Phase: Phase Inverting
Maximum Output is 20 VRMS
Distortion: less than .25% THD or IMD at 1.0 V output
Response: bandpass 2Hz to more than 100kHz
Line Stage 96 dB below 2.5 volt output
Dimensions: 19" X 3 _" x 15 _"

[mchad]

Good day gentlemen,

I wondered into the AA forum and what do you know, you guys have a CJ forum. Very cool...neat place you have here!

I'd like to share a couple of older CJ built Motif pieces that I acquired a couple of years ago from a local fellow. They are a pair of MS-100 power amplifiers from the late 1980's. When I first received them, I didn't know what to expect nor did I know if they were working optimally so for peace of mind I sent them both back to CJ for a check-up. Keith (I believe that's his name) at CJ called me to say the power supply relay contacts needed a cleaning and he also replaced a small power-on transformer in each MS-100 that can become noisy over time. Other than that he said they were performing to spec and should last many more years in service. I sure hope he's right because they sound beautiful to my ears.


(note: There is a muffin fan on the outboard side of each amp for the summer months when they are on for 8 or more hours. They move just enough air to keep things from getting too hot in the tight space.)





Best,
Mike

[Puma Cat]

Here's my first C-J piece, my PV12A preamp. I bought this from a buddy for $800. It was my first introduction to C-J, and it was (still is) a very good preamp. Paired well with both SS amps (I even hooked it up to my truly vintage Harmon-Kardon Citation 12; it sounds geat!) or with tube amps. Not the last word in transparency or detail, it was easily tunable for it's sound by rolling different tubes through it. The hot setup for tubes was the mil-spec Mullard CV4003.
Build quality is standard very high C-J build quality, the only things that might need service would be the pots, which might need a cleaning after many years of use. Certainly did everything right when it came to creating an engaging and musical experience, and still represents a great way to get into C-J gear for the budget or first-time buyer. Pair this with a C-J MF-2250, MF-2500, Premier 11A, or MV60 and you have an excellent sounding system that can reproduce music that "just sounds right".



You can now have the caps replaced by C-J with Teflon caps, which I understand takes it to an entirely new level, one that is comparable to many preamps made today.

One thing it would benefit from would be an IEC connector for power, so you could pair it with a Shunyata power cord. Add a Venom3 to this baby, and you'd be stylin'!

[Rafale]

thanks Stephen, nice peamp, simple but perennially fashionable design....was very often paired with Prem11 in my country

[Rafale]

Originally Posted by RoadDawgWest

I purchased the CJ Premier 14 preamp back in the late 90's. The preamp has great frequency response. Later I added the matching Premier 15 phono stage. This combination resulted in numerous enjoyable listening sessions. When I switched to the McIntosh C2200 I knew I would not be selling these pieces. These units stay in my system on the east coast along with my McCormack DNA1.

Thanks RoaDawgWest, Prem 15 is a reference phonostage furthermore he can be updated to the serie II status and with C1 capacitors

[Puma Cat]

Originally Posted by Rafale

thanks Stephen, nice peamp, simple but perennially fashionable design....was very often paired with Prem11 in my country

You mean one of these, Philippe?



I had my PV12 paired with a Prem11A as well!

It was my first C-J amp. I found that NOS input tubes took it another level: the hot setup was a Mazda 6SN7 and a GE 5751. The Genalex Gold Lion KT88s worked a treat in this amp.

Still a great amp. Built like a brick outhouse with superb transformers....here's a pic of the underside of mine, at the time it was 15 years old.



Beautiful build quality. The classic C-J workmanship is evident throughout.

You can also have this amp upgraded with Teflon caps...I can imagine pairing this with a Teflon-cap upgraded PV12 would be quite a dynamic duo!

[joeinid]

Thanks Guys,

You are killing me

[Rafale]

Ahhhhh, Prem11
Absolutely magnificent, I dreamed about this amplifier during years but it was inaccessible to me at the price of French sale

[Rafale]

Stephen, how does the Premier 11 compare to the MV60SE ?