Over the weekend a friend dropped by and brought a brand-new Conrad-Johnson Premier 18LS line-stage preamp over for my evaluation. I hadn't planned on upgrading my old Motif MC8 at this time, but the chance to audition the first solid-state piece to get the "Premier" designation from Conrad-Johnson while I'm home for Christmas break was too tempting to pass up. Now i fear I'll be shrinking my bank account too, because I'm in love with this preamp already and it's barely begun to break in.
First, when we got it in my system and turned it on there was dead silence. The long-standing background hum which although at a very low level was always audible through my RM40s when i stood next to them was completely gone. This baby is dead quiet.
Over the next two hours my friend and I played several discs ranging from Richard Thompson's "The Old Kit Bag", James Taylor's "Flag" (SACD), The Chopin Ballades & Scherzos on the RCA Living Stereo SACD, and the Allman Brothers "Eat A Peach" SACD. We both came to the conclusion that the old Motif preamp wouldn't be going back in my system anytime soon if ever. The sound was both warmer, less "transistorized" and more detailed and dynamic than the old MC8. Ambience retrieval was on a par with the best tube preamps I've heard in other systems, and the sonic characteristics of the 18LS seem to be an ideal match for the RM40s and they compliment my Eighth Nerve modified Carver ZR-1600.
I'll have more to say after giving this preamplifier a full audition over the next couple weeks as it breaks in, but I'm already too impatient to go turn it up and continue to hear what it brings to my music.
