Let us know how you like it.
Gorgeous sound.
It just sounds right (CJ motto) indeed. I expected some "tube flavor" but I didn't expect it to also resolve detail and have such clarity as well. On the whole it pushes both the "hi fi" buttons while still providing a natural, enjoyable and non-fatiguing sound. I guess all those fancy polypropylene caps, minimalist circuit design, etc do make a substantial difference. Left brain keeps telling me : "yeah but it's not as neutral / linear / clean as it should be" while right brain is telling me : "chill out dude, I'm enjoying myself".
They certainly are minimal on the aesthetics : when I took it out of the box I thought "I paid how much for this?". But I guess they put the $ where it counts, and the sound quality makes up for it. Funny how much looking at it reminds me of AVA preamps / gear. Same design philosophy I guess. If I were starting all over again I'd probably go AVA new (or even better used!) for preamp / amp. One small critique would be that I don't think it has sufficient ventilation - just a thin line or two of long holes at the top and bottom back edges. It runs hot : and I've heard these & similar can be "hard" on tubes.
Only nagging thought is : "if this preamp - which was an entry level CJ component in it's day - sounds so good - I wonder how much better a newer model runs......". What could actually have been done for successive products that could materially improve the sound - and how much more is that improvement worth? The bane of being an audiophile. Can't just enjoy the moment.
I do know that the interconnects from the external DAC that used to go the Marantz AV7005 will now firmly change hands to his PV10A - and the PV10A will be given it's own rack space of honor. It's funny because I've kept trying to convince myself that something like a relatively high-end processor like my AV7005 could be a good music preamp as well (in Pure Direct mode at least), then I hook up this humble looking CJ PV10A that's some 20 years old, and it tops it in just about every respect imaginable (w/ the Marantz the bass is a bit tighter). Don't know what lead to that delusion : my "reference" music system has for some time been all tube w/ no mass market av components and I spent more than a decade avoiding mass market receivers, etc for music.
Guess the ol saw about the futility of attempting the best of both HT + 2 channel in one systems still holds true to some degree, and better to have two separate systems, unless you're prepared to pay big $'s for the likes of Anthem / Classe / Bryston etc, and even then be at the mercy that these don't have the latest software & plummeting resale values. If I had the big bucks would be fun to have an all CJ home theater rig w/ hybrid pre & power amplification.
Anyway - I digress. Time to turn the left brain off & enjoy the music!
