The successor to the Conrad Johnson CA200 integrated, famously Lew Johnson's personal reference in his living room.
Classic Conrad-Johnson beauty inside and out. Sounds as glowing and beautiful as its champagne finish.
Acquired as a dealer demo less than a year ago and am rating conservatively at 8/10.
Asking $2050, obo. SOLD
Flat fee shipping in lower 48 states: $60. PayPal friends & family or 3%.
Established 100% score on usaudiomart and audiogon (username: transience).
PRESS:
"It was enough to know I was completely enamored with the new Conrad Johnson CA150 integrated amp"
– Herb Reichert, Stereophile (on the CA150 at CES
"Lew Johnson (right) chose the 135Wpc compact overachiever because he wanted to remind everyone that C-J makes great solid-state amps and it was driving the Maggies with aplomb. Clearly both Wendell Diller (left) and Lew Johnson were delighted with the sound (as was I)."
– Kalman Rubinson, Stereophile (on the power amp-only version of this unit)
"I'll not mince words. The conrad-johnson CA150 control amplifier is a superb performer. Transparent, resolving and nuanced, with a midrange bordering on the sublime, the CA150 succeeds at all levels in connecting the listener with his or her favorite music. With sufficient power on tap to drive most speakers and a wealth of connectivity options to support almost any music lover's source components, the CA150 represents a flexible solution for audiophiles looking for the convenience of one-box amplification without compromise."
– John Acton, positive feedback magazine
"I’ve listened to a lot of different amplifier designs this issue: some solid-state, some hollow-state, and some undergoing some kind of identity crisis. None have been quite so approachable, so listenable, and just so damn enjoyable as the conrad-johnson CA150. It’s a grown up amplifier for grown up listeners. It’s a refined, civilised design in an age that has forgotten what refinement and civility mean. It’s a lot more than that, too; powerful, dynamic, potent, and even rhythmic in outlook. In short, it’s a delight to play music through this amplifier. Firmly recommended."
– Alan Sircom, The Absolute Sound
CJ Description:
The CA150 audio circuit is similar to our highly regarded MF2550 and MF2275 power amplifiers, with FET voltage gain circuit for tube-like transfer function and a high-current bi-polar output stage to achieve a high damping factor with limited negative feedback. The CA150 adds a sophisticated level control circuit that allows for precisely repeatable level and balance settings made in 1.0 dB increments.
By contrast, the CA150 is a full featured control unit with seven line-level inputs including a theater loop, and its circuits incorporate the kind of top quality parts for which conrad-johnson is known. All resistors in the audio circuits and related power supplies are precision metal film types. With the exception of the large power supply reservoir capacitors (which are specially chosen electrolytic capacitors bypassed by polypropylenes), all capacitors in these circuits use polystyrene and polypropylene dielectrics. The over-sized power transformer would not seem out of place in an amplifier with much higher power rating. Even the machined gold-plated connectors have been selected for their sonic-excellence.
The use of carefully selected, high-quality parts enables the CA150 to properly exploit the dramatic potential of a control amplifier to enhance the immediacy of musical experience afforded by fine recordings. As a result, the CA150 is notable for its resolution of subtle dynamic shadings and palpable imaging, for a natural harmonic tonality, and extraordinary resolution.
SPECS
Original msrp: $5000
Power: 135 watts per channel RMS both channels driven into 8 ohms from 20Hz to 20KHz at no more than 1% total harmonic distortion or intermodulation distortion.
Small Signal Distortion: less than .1% at mid-band
Frequency Response (at 10 watts): 20 Hz to 20 kHz, +/- .5 dB
Hum and Noise: 100 dB below rated power
Input Impedance: 10k Ohms
Phase: speaker output is phase correct, sub-woofer output is phase correct
Dimensions: 14.625″D x 19″W x 4.5″H
Weight: 33 lbs.
