Conrad Johnson Phono Preamps

Thanks, @ghdprentice!

I’ve never used ChatGPT until now. I typed "Compare Conrad Johnson Premier 15 Phono Preamp to their Tea 2 SEHG Phono Preamp" and got an amazing amount of information in response!

Premier 15: Warm, full-bodied, slightly romantic CJ house sound with a big stage. Ideally paired with higher gain MC step-ups or high-output cartridges

Tea2 SEHG: More transparency and air; retains sweetness but adds extension and resolution. SEHG version can directly handle low-output MCs without external step-up.

Appears a high quality SUT would be helpful for a low-output cartridge with the Premier 15. I feel I'm on the edge of this with a cartridge that has an output of 1.0mV

I know nothing about SUT’s - where does one begin with that? 

Thanks again for sharing this, I’m sure I’ll use ChatGPT for many other things as they come along!

Best,

Randy  

I had a CJ TEA2HG for a while, and before that their ET3 preamp with phono stage and before that, a PV11.

I loved the sound of the TEA2, but 1 mv is pretty low output and 55 db is not all that high for a phono stage. And given the fact that CJ's have a tendency to pick up RF, you might find yourself as I did, cranking your system to hear a classical orchestral piece at live volume and hearing your local radio station playing in the background at the same time.

Don't get me wrong. It's a wonderful phono preamp. But you might consider the LG version with an SUT that can give you higher output that the HG version can without one.

I owned the Pr. 15 a number of years ago.  It was a great phono pre in its day and a nice upgrade from the EF-1 but at this point it’s a little dated.  It has enough gain for your cartridge but not enough to go with a lower gain MC.  The description above is accurate so if you like the CJ golden sound you’ll love this pre.  Never had the problem that brokenrecord descibes but at the same time you may want to consider a more recent offering and something that plays low output MC should you decide to move in that direction.

I have a CJ ART Phono now, before that a TEA 1 Series III, before that an ET5.  Generally for most cartridges I prefer to use the low gain input with an SUT and generally a 10:1 ratio or less.  I have a few SUTs.  You can’t go wrong with one from Bob’s Devices.  His SUTs sound great and are reasonably priced and he is knowledgeable about matching your preferred cartridge to your phono stage.  Remember you will require an extra set of phono leads too.  These should be kept reasonably short and be high quality.  

@billstevenson +1 Definitely, use low gain phono pre with a SUT.   It’s been a number of years ago so trying to remember the specifics but per Bob, he did not recommend using his SUT (any ratio) with the Pr.15.