CT5. Vs. ET5

[Briz Vegaas]

Got a demo ET5 in my system against my CT5. So far it's CT5 for dynamics and transparency over the ET5 for a seemly more refined sound. I don't borrow gear unless I am serious but it is a good few thousand to upgrade.

System is mostly Valhalla wired, Naim DAC, CA 200 power and Vivid B1s.

I am told the ET 5 does not have much on the clock but sounds like it has at least some KMs under its belt remembering the early days of my CT5. I will leave the ET5 in for about a week before slotting the CT5 back in. At this stage I think it's more a flavour change than a sea change. cT 5 has been super transparent and punchy , this sounds a little dulled in comparison but I will give it some time.

My money is on updating my Try interconnect to Valhalla like its mate as a better proposition. Maybe the ET5 is suffering low KMs.

Any thoughts to fair up the comparo are appreciated. I think KMs is the only thing for it to even out a little but I have Christmas to decide, not 6 months.

[turntable]

Hi BV

You have a lot of ups and downs to go through with the Teflon caps.

Reading all the folks that went from Act2 to GAT will tell you that tonally the GAT is different. All have said the ACT2 was a little brighter, coarser than the GAT which is more refined but equally as transparent/dynamic. Have a read of some of the GAT threads

Tonal quality differences would be similar between ct5 and et5 I would guess.


Have fun listening.

[Briz Vegaas]

Hi Turntable. You also post on SNA I think?

[turntable]

Hi Turntable. You also post on SNA I think?

Yea, same silly moniker :scratch2:

[ronenash]

Give it 300-500 hours and you will hear what the ET-5 can do. I have heard both the ET5 and the CT5 after they were broken in and in the same system. For my taste the ET5 was a better preamp in every way including dynamics.

Patience is your reward.

[rlw3]

The CT 5 takes 2 tubes right? Try some chryoed 6h30p's. Depending on synergy you may find a new tonal quality you like for very little $$$. My act 2.2 has some nice differences when going back and forth between non chryo and chryos. Makes me wonder how the professional review of these preamps would read with different tubes. The chryos take a while to break in on my act 2.2-maybe 100 hrs

[Wasatch]

I think I read somewhere that it takes 300-400 hours of break-in on the ET5.

[rlw3]

there seems to be a recent awareness that units that are slow to break in tubes are also slow to wear them out

[Wasatch]

there seems to be a recent awareness that units that are slow to break in tubes are also slow to wear them out

In this case, it's those Teflon Caps that take along time to break-in. There was a review a few months back about the ET5 I believe with one of the owners, either in Stereophile or The Absolute Sound.

[ronenash]

ToneAudio also reviewed the ET5 very favorably.