GAT begat GAT2. ET5 is now old enough to begat ???
 

OK, any gossip on the inevitable series 2ing of the ET5?

As luck would have it i am still broke from purchasing Valhalla 2 interconnect for my CT5 at the beginning of the year ( which i was listening to just this morning and was thinking how great the system sounds ).

So why am i posting about the future son of ET5 you ask. Well, if it means almost GAT uno performance come a little closer, or even kind of achievable at a more real world price then that has to be worth some gossip/ discussion on the only CJ forum in town.

Moving GAT to a higher plane must leave some performance wriggle room in the next tier down.

What would folks like to see in an ET5 series two? I am in the have cake and eat it also category. I would like to see near as darn it GAT series one level performance , plus i would like to see enhanced casework. Frankly ET5 is a bit of a dull looking box. My CT5 and LP70s twins are probably the most visually attractive models that CJ have made, smarter than even Mr GAT himself I would suggest. Could the ET5 (and a bit) also come with enhance casework?

I know it would still be a mono tube, but maybe could they incorporate the vibe of CT5 in the design. After all, it is more affordable that GAT, but it is still very much a premium product in the pre amp world. Thoughts?

I spoke with a dealer friend of mine and I saw this on the Conrad Johnson website there is a page show an ET7.

http://conradjohnson.com/announcing-...-preamplifier/

Price is $9500. $500 less than the ET-5.

Sexy!!

:naughty:

http://conradjohnson.com/wp-content/...ier-beauty.jpg

Has anyone reviewed the new et7, think between the et7 or audio research ref.6 preamps what are your throughts ??

Just been looking at a photo of the insides of the ET7 and it’s specifications vs my CT-5.

I’m thinking that you would want to listen very carefully to this one if you already have a CT5 or ET5. As far as parts and looks are concerned it seems appropriate that it is cheaper than the ET5. Weight and parts count is not necessarily an indicator of sound, and Pre amps are a bit of a mystery as to why more sounds better than no preamp, but it’s not a good start from a “ gut feeling “ perspective.

Mind you, the CT5 was a heavier preamp than the ET5 with lower distortion specifications, but many felt it was a no brainer in favour of the ET5. My attempt to do a direct CT5 vs ET5 comparison ran into issues with the ET5. For that reason I still have my CT5. Newer is not always bettter, or if it is it may not be better in all respects.

I have my eyes on this one. Curious to get some feedback from someone who owns it...

I grabbed an ET5 because there are some serious good deals available. Waiting on shipment. I have been slowly shopping preamps, looking for a little more resolution than my classic premier 14 and dehavilland UVIII. Plus the premier 14 is getting some serious age on her.

The ET5 will also be a better impedance match to the 10K Mac 501's. CJ is smart to lower the output impedance to make it more versatile with amp matching. Although I haven't heard it yet I am confident it's a keeper. I have always had a CJ in the preamp stage.

I remain unconvinced that a single 6922 (dual-triode) running both channels is the way to go, as with current series of "less than GAT" preamps (ET7 & ET3 and ET5, which is no longer current). Give me one tube per channel or give me.................. well, something else in the form of a preamp.

The dehavilland Ultra Verve tube uses one signal tube, the 6SN7, I have used it for years. Very effective and able to drive long IC's and low impedance amps.

Spent the last 3 days with the ET5 and it has exceeded expectations. It has finesse, refinement, dynamics, sweetness with unsurpassed clarity, coherency from top to bottom. I see what the fuss over teflon caps is all about. It is a fine machine indeed.

And the best part it is already broken in so a good 12 hour run in seemed to do the trick. Maybe it needs more but wow, it can't get any better!

Update on my ET5 - loving it! I have been through some EH 6922 tubes though, several from CJ were noisy from the get-go. It’s a shame because I like the sound of the EH.

Finally settled in with Philips ECC88’s. I also have a siemans as a backup. That is my only complaint is how hard it is on tubes. Otherwise it is the best preamp I have owned.

Have you considered using a 7DJ8/PCC88 instead? You might find they last longer.

Thanks Joe, I have one as my backup now, a Siemens. I will put it in when my Philips craps out. Supposed to be a tough tube.

Among the many varieties of.the 7DJ8/PCC88 I used in the past were Telefunken and a Telefunken-branded Siemens manufactured. In my opinion, both were excellent.

The Siemens is on the left and the actual Telefunken on the right.

http://xc8.xanga.com/9bae21204143428...w226296796.jpg

Nice Joe, looking forward to hearing the Siemens 7DJ8/PC88. I will let you know how it sounds in my system once installed.

Jerry

Long-lasting tubes in ET5 & ET3SE
 

Yea, these CJ preamps are very hard on tubes. And if a tube is even slightly noisy or microphonic, you'll hear it.

I've got both an ET3SE and ET5 and I have spent a lot of time (and money) trying out different tubes.

I did find some tubes that are both durable and quiet and sound quite good. Not as rich and holographic as some NOS tubes, but I'll trade that out for durability and quiet. The tubes are 6H23 / 6922 Type 3. About $85 each if you can find them.

I had one in my ET5 for over 8 months of pretty steady usage and still quiet. And at least as long in my ET3. I bought a bunch of them.

Another tube that I really like is: Philips Miniwatt SQ E88CC / 6922 Gold Pin, Holland from Tubedepot.com. It's pricey (>$200), but very holographic with great midrange and treble. Mostly quiet too. Don't know if I'll buy more, but about a month in...so far so good.

I truly want to be educated on this. Why would a one tube design not be desired? I was more in the camp of simplicity of a line stage.

I'd like to hear some compromise in theory or fact on this....either way.

Thanks
jc

Thanks medwardo, I am still using the Philips ECC88, have about 300 hours on it and it is slightly noisy. I am going to use it until it impedes on my enjoyment and then switch to the Siemens.

Unfortunately the 7DJ8/PCC88 tubes do not sound as good as the 6922/e88cc tubes.

I had similar reliability issues until I bought a pair of Telefunken e88cc's. They sound amazing and last forever.
I just replaced my Tele tubes that lasted 4 years / approx 16,000 hours of perfect performance.

They are expensive now unfortunately.

I think a lot of modern day tube preamps are hard on tubes. I have several that vary, CJ premier 14, et5, and Audio Research ph5 all eat tubes. Allnic h3000 and dehavilland ultra verve 3 tubes have lasted thousands of hours.

The old adage that signal tubes last 1,000 to 1,500 hours is complete bull for some preamps.

Hey guys is the ET7 S2 clearly better than the ET5?

Think they may be trying to do too much with too few tubes. When they get down to less than 2-tubes per channel invariably they have started adding solid-state devices in the signal path, which we all know is an audio-abomination creating an aura of bad juju :no: in the listening space, upsetting the audio gods. My preamp has eight (8) tubes. Seems about right to me. :thumbsup: Nice aura. :music:

There are no hard and fast rules about how to achieve functionality.

Over the years, CJ has moved from more tubes in their linestages to fewer. This is consistent with their design intent of keeping circuits as simple as possible. This design paradigm has been adopted by a number of other manufaturers as well, including First Sound. These design principles are also consistent with Altschuler's TRIZ Principle of Ideality.

My CT-5 has one tube per channel, compared to my Pr17, which had two. I'm still on the same set of tubes in my CT-5 for the last nine years now.

The ET5 and ET7 have a single twin-triode tube for the entire preamp; one half of the tube for each channel.

I had an ET-3 SE. Had to replace the 6922 tube every 6-8 months. I sold it and bought a Luxman CL38U SE. It has 8 tubes 3 for the phono. I've had it for 2 years still dead quiet.