Having owned a CJ Premier 17LS a CT-5 and an ET-5 I would choose the ET-5 hands down! I think it has an warm liquid midrange that is not bloated or heavy but in my opinion almost perfect. I think that the 17 is slow and bloated compared to the newer CJ preamps it sounds very warm and inviting but tends to be short on detail and Rhythm.
The CT-5 sounds the most sterile of the lot in my opinion and I think a lot of that sonic signature comes from the use of the 6N30P tube as opposed to the 6922 tube in the ET-5. I have not been a fan of Preamps using the 6N30P tube and I think CJ learned that lesson with the ACT series and CT-5. They went back to the 6922 tubes for the ET-5 and the GAT.
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