Help with a preamp upgrade

If you decide to go with the Krell you'd be better off with the KRC-3 than the Kav. Pricewise it should even be slightly less. The sound between the Krell and CJ will be quite a bit different. Dynamics will be stronger with the Krell as will extension at the two extremes. Overall the Krell I'd say is more accurate. The CJ though may have a richer midrange. I went from an ARC LS16 to a Krc-3 and am very happy with the trade. I do miss some of the tube euphony at times though. You could buy the Krell and not be out anything but time and shipping. There's plenty of Pv10's to buy if you don't like the Krell. It's a matter of taste to a large degree.

Consider using the upgrade money to do some tube rolling, especially if you've had the amp for a while.

Personally I find C-J preamps really great for classical music. If you wanna upgrade (versus sidegrade), and you like the C-J sound, consider that C-J has a new preamp coming out based on ACT2 technology and you may see some good deals on PV-14s and Premier 16s and 17s as other folks look to upgrade.

Cj is releasing a little brother to the Act 2 as we speak. It is supposed to outperform the Art and is half the cost at around 7500.00 . might be something to wait on.

If you like the sound of your current CJ & want more of it, tweak it with Herbie's HAL-O Damping Instruments, if you have not done so already. At only 10.00 for each tube, it does wonders & it has a 90 day trial period.
http://herbiesaudiolab.home.att.net/

Another no brainer tweak that works well is Walker SST contact enhancer which cost only 70.00 & worth its weight in gold.
http://www.walkeraudio.com/

And if you have money left over buy more music as suggested by Rubinken.

All the best....