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Went to buy Vandersteen 2C speakers and came home with a conrad-johnson Premier 11A.

I found a great deal on a pair of Vandersteen 2C speakers with Sound Anchor stands.  I didn’t need them, but they are identical to a pair that I had back in the 90s.  While I was there, the seller mentioned that he had an amp that he wanted to sell.  It was on a shelf in a basement collecting dust.  The price was right, so I bought it.  He said there are about 40 hours on the tubes.  Hopefully, the caps are ok.  I’m thinking I’ll try a Wiim Ultra streamer with volume control just to see if everything works.  I have old preamps by NAD and Rotel, but they aren't good ones.

Is there anything special that I should do before firing up the old girl?  This is my first tube amplifier. 

sls883
knotscott's avatar
knotscott
1,385 posts
 

Most tube amps sound good within a few minutes, even though they may improve some for an hour or so.  

Your call if it's worth investing in a variac for one use....do you know anyone with one, or do you know a tech?    Might be worth having a pro look at it....it's a well regarded amp.   Maybe someone who's more tech savvy than me will have some suggestions.  The good news is that it's not all that old by vintage tube amp standards.  .  If you get a variac and fire it up, be sure to put a load on the outputs. 

If you post your general location, maybe someone here is nearby who could help. 
 

kevemaher's avatar
kevemaher
393 posts
 

Using a Variac is a great idea. Might also be a good idea to have the tubes tested before cranking up the Variac.You'll find out if there are tubes that need replacement and also how long it will be before the good measuring tubes go bad. It is a bit difficult to find a tube tester. A local electronics repair shop may have one.

Replacing the tubes will give you a fresh start.

I'm not sure if there are any electrolytic capacitors in the circuit. Since this amp is about 30 years old, those caps could be aged out. The non-electrolytics are probably OK.

It's also good to do a visual inspection inside especially the tubes. Do any have a grey coating? Or a crack in the glass bottle. Or not fully engaged into the socket.

sls883 OP
1,055 posts
 

@knotscott @kevemaher thank you for replies. 

I’m in KC. 

The tubes look excellent.  I was told that the amp was retubed and the owner only put maybe 40 hours on them. None of them have a gray coating. 

I’m OK with buying a variac, but I’m not sure what to get. Below is a link to one that puts out higher amperage than the $60 model that I mentioned.  Would this work? 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07JV8ZCG8/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3GRIWLFOYL9K2&psc=1

If Google is correct, the amp has premium polypropylene capacitors. 

sls883 OP
1,055 posts
 

Not sure if this will work, but below is a link to photos. 

 

https://photobucket.com/share/a82604ef-7eb0-4b7a-bfd5-73b401495ae6

knotscott's avatar
knotscott
1,385 posts
 

@sls883 Either of those variacs should be fine.  

The amp and the tubes look really good in the pic. 

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