Conrad Johnson Premier 3A = Dry sound?? Opinions please


Hi,

I recently bought a second hand CJ 3a tube pre-amp that brings a welcome improvement in my system (Bryston 7B ST and KEF reference 4) but...... There seems to be somtheing missing.

The sound is leaning on the dry side and I don't have that bloomy, palpable yet transparant sound that I was looking for. The fat/syruppy bass could also be a bit more controlled (ehh. dry??).. Oh yes, and through my 92 db sensitivity KEF's I hear a lot of 'pink noise' !!

I wonder if the tubes are worn or something (GE).

Anyone with experience with this oldie?? I'am now thinking of buying a dedicated Btyston pre-amp to get that transparant, controlled sound.

Any ideas??

Thanks,

Nanning
nanning

Showing 1 response by cellorover

You cannot really tell how old the tubes are, so that should be the starting point. If you are using the same interconnects as your old SS amp, you may want to reconsider chaning those. But, before you do anything, call Knut at CJ service. He is the best and will spend the time to help you figure it out. Good luck.