Conrad Johnson and Herron comparisons

@saika2 Unless Keith told you that directly I question your assertion that discontinued models are not eligible for revision upgrades. While sometimes parts availability can be a limiting factor, Keith’s product support is unrivaled IMHE. That said, my VTSP-3A is the last and latest version at R03 :)

Good Luck with your sale dodgealum. Yes, unfortunately, it’s from the horses mouth....a VTSP 3a that’s not rev 3 cannot be upgraded anymore from a 1 or a 2, as it’s “obsolete”. 

@jjss49 

couldnt have stated those words of wisdom any better....... exactly my philosophy...and I’ve been in this game for a pretty long time as well 

saika

good luck in your finding a tube pre you like

in 2007 i bought my cj prem 16ls2 for $3300... it has provided me with countless hours of joy and musical bliss, and fun, rolling tubes

it is worth at least that much today, probably a few hundred more, if i choose to sell it (not doing it...)

as a version two it is the last version of that unit - yes the newer models are just a touch clearer, zippier/sharper in tone but also leaner in the midrange and midbass - i got an et5 few years back as well... both lovely units, the et5 is a more modernized cj sound - they clearly are voicing their products somewhat differently as time passes - then i tried a friends GAT for a couple months - it was almost solid state like in sound, i did not like it as i felt it went too zippy and hifi in sound character

through all this, if i were to keep one cj pre it would still be the 16... for me it defines what the cj tube magic is...

I finally pulled the trigger on a Herron VTSP 3A - .......lovely, lovely, lovely.....
Works seamlessly with my Pass XA 30.8/Klipschorns...really like some of the unique features on it - "invert switch", ac polarity switch, remote is a bit dinky, but does the job!