Conrad-Johnson Premier 350 discussion

[Joe Appierto]

Originally Posted by turntable

Hey Joe

How is the Teflon prem140 going?

Have you noticed if it is any quieter? That was the first thing I noticed on the prem8a's

It's going really well actually, thanks for asking. I'm not sure how many hours c-j put on the amp before I got it, but it's currently at 287 hours that I've logged on to it so I'm guessing it's probably at the 300 hour mark in total.

Right out of the gate it sounded clearer and more dynamic than I remembered it to be. Around the 231 hour mark it seemed to lose some presence and just didn't sound as good as it had previously. Gradually it's been recovering but still doesn't sound as good as when I first got it, which is kinda weird.

I can say that even now, every change I've made to the system including HiFi-Tuning Gold 38mm Special fuses in the 140, the original Taipan Alpha power cord on the 16LS2 and other tube and cable changes of all sorts are readily noticeable.

Bottom line, I'm really pleased.

[ronenash]

Joe, can you identify what effect the HiFi tuning fuses had in your Pr140? I was thinking of using them myself in the LP125mSE and the ACT2.

[Joe Appierto]

Originally Posted by ronenash

Joe, can you identify what effect the HiFi tuning fuses had in your Pr140? I was thinking of using them myself in the LP125mSE and the ACT2.

Hi Ron,

Sure, be happy to. I used the HiFi-Tuning Gold 38mm Special fuses because their SilverStar and Supreme fuses don't come in the size needed for the Premier 140.

I've used these before and that's how I blew the amp up originally when I stupidly put in 2A fuses instead of the 1A that are specified for the 140, but that's another story.

I don’t know if I’m now more sensitive to how these HiFi-Tuning fuses affect the sound because I've used them before and know what to listen for, or, if the resulting increase in the amplifier’s clarity makes the changes to the system more readily apparent, but replacing the stock KTK-1 fuses with the Gold 38mm Specials resulted in immediately noticeable changes to the sound.

Once the new fuses went in, the sound became clearer and more detailed, more dynamic, with better frequency extension both at the top and bottom. The sound stage also was more airy and delicately nuanced as well.

If you want to read about them in more detail, I do a blog on audio stuff and you can get some more info on them plus there are pictures.

The entry for the fuses is here: HiFi-Tuning Gold 38mm Special Fuses | JDA1951 on Xanga

[ronenash]

Interesting read Joe, thank you. The KTK fuse is protecting the high power supply for the output tubes. There should be two more fuses inside the unit protecting the driver stages and bias supply. I think there will be very little benefit in putting a high quality fuse on the bias supply but the driver stage supply will definitely benefit from a cleaner and better power supply.

[Joe Appierto]

Originally Posted by ronenash

Interesting read Joe, thank you. The KTK fuse is protecting the high power supply for the output tubes. There should be two more fuses inside the unit protecting the driver stages and bias supply. I think there will be very little benefit in putting a high quality fuse on the bias supply but the driver stage supply will definitely benefit from a cleaner and better power supply.

That's good to know, thank you, Ron. If I get adventurous enough to pop the hood, I'll give it a try. Any chance you know which is which?

[Coppy]

Originally Posted by Puma Cat

Well, it looks like they made at least 200 of them, or so.

Funny to think of how rare this amp seemed to be....virtually "un-locatable" around a year ago, and now, Shane, Joe, myself, Coppy, the former dodp4, lotus340R, sleepysurf and microstrip all have them.... that's quite a change in less than a year.

Except... I bought mine new many years ago. Just couldn't give it up when I bought new stuff. Glad I kept it.

[Kevinkwan]

Originally Posted by Joe Appierto

It's going really well actually, thanks for asking. I'm not sure how many hours c-j put on the amp before I got it, but it's currently at 287 hours that I've logged on to it so I'm guessing it's probably at the 300 hour mark in total.

Right out of the gate it sounded clearer and more dynamic than I remembered it to be. Around the 231 hour mark it seemed to lose some presence....

How do you keep track of the hours logged so accurately? I've always wanted to do this but never knew how.

[Joe Appierto]

Originally Posted by Kevinkwann

How do you keep track of the hours logged so accurately? I've always wanted to do this but never knew how.

Hi Kevin,

I keep a journal where I write down my impressions of any changes I've made to the system and to that I've added the times when the system is turned on and then shut down each day. I transcribe the start and end times into a spreadsheet that I made and it automatically calculates the number of hours and minutes for that day and also gives a cumulative-to-date total.

Regards,

[Kevinkwan]

Smart! That makes a lot of sense. Thanks so much Joe!

[ronenash]

Originally Posted by Joe Appierto

That's good to know, thank you, Ron. If I get adventurous enough to pop the hood, I'll give it a try. Any chance you know which is which?

Not on the Pr140. I never had one and did not see its insides.