Trying P18LS v. ET-2

[CDLehner]

Just had a good deal come up on AG, for a Premier 18LS. Thought I'd give it a whirl against my ET-2. Little did I realize...it's SS! lol

Oh well; good sound is good sound. Any thoughts about the unit?

[CDLehner]

OK; guess I'll let you guys know. :D

[Puma Cat]

CD,
None of us posted any thoughts about the Pr18 because AFAIK, none of us here has ever owned or heard one. Ronenash might be familiar with it. Like the ET2, not many folks have Pr18s that I know of. Folks here, on the whole, I think, are much more familiar with the tube PV and Premier preamps, as well as the ART, ACT, CT-5, ET3, ET5, etc.

My guess is that, like all C-J preamps, it will sound very good. Whether it's one might prefer it over an ET2 or an ET3, Pr17, etc, etc. would require some fairly extensive comparison listening and might just come down to personal preferences.

[ronenash]

All I know is that the control section of the CA200 is taken from the Pr18 and it has the same casework. I have never heard one but have heard earlier CJ SS preamps and they all sounded great.
Let us know what you hear.

[CDLehner]

Hmmmm; better let this "warm up" a bit before I make any rash judgments. :scratch2:

[Puma Cat]

I would let it warm up for a few days....

[CDLehner]

OK...Premier 18LS has been "running in" a good bit over the last few days. As you might have guessed...from an earlier comment...out of the box, it did not impress. I was telling a friend, that I never thought of myself as a warm, tubey guy; in fact, while I like the idea of balance...from a tube pre-amp, backed-up by SS power-amp muscle...I'm always careful to try and avoid overly warm tube units. I would call the ET-2 pretty warm...as is the mf-2500a, for an SS amp. And while I tend to rail against that warm sound...when I put other gear up against it, as has been the case with the mf-2500a...I do tend to prefer the sound of the C-J. It's even made me turn on my beloved Belles 150a Hot-Rod to a certain extent.

I recently thought about selling the mf-2500a...because it was "too" warm, and the Belles was just "laying around", and certainly good enough to stand-in as "back-up". However, compared to the mf-2500a, the Hot-Rod is sounding pretty lean to me now. Point is...I'm kinda feeling the same way about the SS Premier 18LS. It's hyper-detailed...but at the same time, a bit etchy and sharp; I would never expect that from C-J...SS or otherwise. Am I becoming a tube convert!? It's funny...I found myself thinking "the Premier 18LS sounds like really good stereo...but the ET-2 sounded more like music"...lol.

It does pair nicely with the mf-2500a though. If the mf-2500a is a touch warm for my taste, the P18LS balances it nicely by being ever so slightly bright and detailed. Gonna let the P18LS have its day in court; then switch back to the ET-2, and see which strikes me as the better combo.

[Puma Cat]

Sounds like C-J is working its magic on you, as it has with many of us. As the ET-2 is a bit warm, it might pair well with a more modern C-J amp like an ET-250S, Pr350, LP70S which present a cooler sound than the MF.

I think you're getting a good feel for how C-J does music....which is pretty darned good.

[CDLehner]

Sounds like C-J is working its magic on you, as it has with many of us. As the ET-2 is a bit warm, it might pair well with a more modern C-J amp like an ET-250S, Pr350, LP70S which present a cooler sound than the MF.

I think you're getting a good feel for how C-J does music....which is pretty darned good.

ET-250S; that's his buddy, right? :D

[dpod4]

ET-250S; that's his buddy, right? :D

I read that the et250s is brighter than the Pr350 so that may be the ticket for a cJ tube preamp.

[CDLehner]

I read that the et250s is brighter than the Pr350 so that may be the ticket for a cJ tube preamp.

I better start saving my pennies. :scratch2:

[joeinid]

I read that the et250s is brighter than the Pr350 so that may be the ticket for a cJ tube preamp.

I would have thought the opposite just because the addition of the tubes. That's good to know.

[dpod4]

I would have thought the opposite just because the addition of the tubes. That's good to know.

My VAC 300.1a tube amp has more air and upper frequency energy than my Pr350. I think they voiced the 350 1-2 clicks on the warm side.

[joeinid]

My VAC 300.1a tube amp has more air and upper frequency energy than my Pr350. I think they voiced the 350 1-2 clicks on the warm side.

Thanks Darrin. I could even go for 1 or 2 clicks warmer but my choice of preamp, I think, will take care of that. :music: Meaning GAT !!!

[dpod4]

Thanks Darrin. I could even go for 1 or 2 clicks warmer but my choice of preamp, I think, will take care of that. :music: Meaning GAT !!!

Keep $400 at the ready for the EAT 6922....super duper special in the GAT!



16312

[CDLehner]

So last night I listened to the P18LS for a good, long time. Here is one virtue of this pre-amp: walking back into the room...where I've had in "running-in" and staying warm for days...I noticed how detailed and dynamic it sounded, even at its low, run-in volume.

When I'm stacking gear up against each other...I like to listen casually, for a good, long time. Really get a general sense of a what a piece is about...with whatever I happen to be listening to at the time, for pleasure. However, when it comes time to "analyze"...I pick a very small set of titles, really pay attention to some of the nuances; try to keep its impression in my memory, and quickly switch units and listen to the same small set all over again.

I did this last night...P18LS out, ET-2 back in, and I learned something I think. The first thing that struck me was how much more fleshed-out the sound was with the ET-2; 3-dimension-ality I think we call that in the audiophile game...lol. But here's what I think I learned; that "fatter" sound...which I find very pleasing...can make the highs seem less extended. The sound is rounder, and fuller...so it doesn't appear as sharp, and therefore not as detailed or bright.

But if you're really listening...as I was last night...you lose nothing. It was pretty convincing the ET-2 is for me. The P18LS is certainly not a bad unit; and it is, IMO, a low-listening lovers dream. By contrast, the ET-2 needed some goosing to get the same punch; but again, the sound was rounder and fuller, when it did get there.

I futz with gear a lot; well, in all fairness, a lot less now than in the past. I've taken some heat, and I don't mind...because I know people in the hobby are passionate, and opinions are usually welcome. But I never saw the downside. I guess I'm the kind that can't judge in a vacuum. Even kit that strikes me as good, after a while...it just becomes the norm. I start to wonder and wander; so I get something else to put its a** to the test...lol. I either walk away bettered, or with the affirmation that I was just fine to start with. Either way, I embrace the result...and as is the case in this audition...sometimes learn something about the nature of sound in the process.

Now...where's there an ET-250s to be had! :scratch2:

[Puma Cat]

So last night I listened to the P18LS for a good, long time. Here is one virtue of this pre-amp: walking back into the room...where I've had in "running-in" and staying warm for days...I noticed how detailed and dynamic it sounded, even at its low, run-in volume.

When I'm stacking gear up against each other...I like to listen casually, for a good, long time. Really get a general sense of a what a piece is about...with whatever I happen to be listening to at the time, for pleasure. However, when it comes time to "analyze"...I pick a very small set of titles, really pay attention to some of the nuances; try to keep its impression in my memory, and quickly switch units and listen to the same small set all over again.

I did this last night...P18LS out, ET-2 back in, and I learned something I think. The first thing that struck me was how much more fleshed-out the sound was with the ET-2; 3-dimension-ality I think we call that in the audiophile game...lol. But here's what I think I learned; that "fatter" sound...which I find very pleasing...can make the highs seem less extended. The sound is rounder, and fuller...so it doesn't appear as sharp, and therefore not as detailed or bright.

But if you're really listening...as I was last night...you lose nothing. It was pretty convincing the ET-2 is for me. The P18LS is certainly not a bad unit; and it is, IMO, a low-listening lovers dream. By contrast, the ET-2 needed some goosing to get the same punch; but again, the sound was rounder and fuller, when it did get there.

I futz with gear a lot; well, in all fairness, a lot less now than in the past. I've taken some heat, and I don't mind...because I know people in the hobby are passionate, and opinions are usually welcome. But I never saw the downside. I guess I'm the kind that can't judge in a vacuum. Even kit that strikes me as good, after a while...it just becomes the norm. I start to wonder and wander; so I get something else to put its a** to the test...lol. I either walk away bettered, or with the affirmation that I was just fine to start with. Either way, I embrace the result...and as is the case in this audition...sometimes learn something about the nature of sound in the process.

Now...where's there an ET-250s to be had! :scratch2:

I thought you were going in the Naim direction....

[CDLehner]

I thought you were going in the Naim direction....

Nah; I might try a little 5i...for less than $1k used...to see what all the fuss is about. But it would have to really be something special, to dislodge me from my current separates.

[Briz Vegaas]

Or you could do what i do Naim DAC - CT5 - CA200

That gives you a Naimee CJ sound, or is that a Cee-Jay-Nai sound.