Regarding pre-amp versus amp upgrade first, my recent experience was going from a CJ PV12L / CJ MF200 to a CJ Premier 16ls2 /Premier 140. I upgraded the pre-amp first to a prem 16ls2 still using the MF 200, then upgraded the amp to the premier 140. The biggest overall change was upgrading the pre-amp. that is I noticed an overall much larger positive difference going from the pv12-mf200 to prem16ls2-mf200 than from prem16ls2-mf200 to prem16ls2-premier140. Don't get me wrong, i still noticed a big diff from the mf200 to Prem 140 amp upgrade, just not the overall same scale. Hmmm....wonder why this is....
Anyone compare Conrad Premier to Rogue?
I currently have a Rogue 88/66 Magnum combo powering my MartinLogan Aeons. Getting into tubes has been a revelation, and now I am considering taking a plunge into a Conrad Johnson Premier 17/140 combo. Unfortunately, my only Conrad dealer doesn't stock either, so I can't compare them to my Rogue setup. With the Rogue, sometimes to get a sense of dynamic swing, especially with DVD concert movies, I need to turn up the volume quite loud, and that drives my husband nuts. I thought the additional power of the Conrad might help in that regard. I've also heard Conrad has better bass, but I have no benchmark to compare it to. Any feedback appreciated.