Valve Pre/Power Amp Upgrade

[nick_s]

Hi All,
Hope this is the right part of the forum for an amp-related question?

I'm just about to get rid of my beloved Conrad Johnson Premier 4 power amp, and am seeking recommendations for valve pre/power amp combinations around the £4-5K mark (for both items!)

My speakers are Spendor S8's, and I need a MM phono input on the pre-amp- mainly vinyl system, though I do play some CD's

Any thoughts gratefully received...

[AlexM]

Hi Nick,

Nice to see another CJ owner here. I am running a ET3 preamp with phono stage, together with an LP125sa stereo power amp. I couldn't be more pleased with the sound I'm getting.

You didn't say what preamp you are using at the moment, or why you are looking to change?. If you like the CJ house sound but are looking for more I would say that the ET3 is a fabulous preamp - I've not heard better, and the phono stage is very very good, being a close derivative of the tea2 discrete phono preamp. They say that ithe ET3'S design philosophy and circuit is closely related to that of the 15k GAT preamp and offers a big chunk of its performance for a lot less money. Given that that is one of the best preamps in the world, that isn't to be sneezed at. The cooking ET3 is a fabulous pre and the ET3Se is quite a bit better again.

Your choice of power amplifiers is more dictated by the speakers and room size you have. I think the spendors will work well with a variety of amplifiers, either valve or SS. Maybe a hybrid valve pre/as power combination is worth considering.

You didn't say what you are looking to achieve with this change.. A little more info would help us to advise.

Regards,
Alex

[Ali Tait]

Perhaps consider having the kit made for you. That way you can have exactly what you want.