Conrad Johnson Preamp / Mcintosh Poweramp

[g_georgi]

Have any AA members tried pairing a Conrad pre with a McIntosh poweramp either SS or tube? Would like to hear your thoughts and findings on this.

[Elvis160]

Yes. I used a CJ PV 15 with teflon upgrade with McIntosh MC2102 Amp for a couple of years Sounded very very good, but it seemed to lack synergy. I replaced the PV15 with a McIntosh C220 preamplifier (with gold lion tubes) and I think it works and sounds much better with the MC 2102.

[Elvis160]

My system with the C220 and Gold Lions and the MC2102 started sounding harsh. My ears hurt. Could it be that the preamp tubes were showing signs of wear after only 8 months and about 200 hours? Well, I removed the C220 from the system and replaced it with the old PV15 with Teflon upgrade. I couldn't believe how wonderful it sounded. Yes, it's not as pretty as the C220. Doesn't have the bells and whistles. It lacks a certain synergy with the Mcintosh as far as controlling the volume, etc. But I love the sound. I think I'm going to keep it in the system for awhile. When the C220 was working right, it sounded great. But I don't remember it sounding this good.

[g_georgi]

Hi Elvis160,

I also have a PV15 but not with the C1 (teflon) capacitor upgrade, it's paired to a MC275VI and sounds very good.

One thing, however, is that I need to crank up the volume to about 65-70 on the display to make my system really come alive and sound full across the frequency band. Below that the sound is still good but lacks the low end slam/weight.

I'm debating whether to try something else or stick with my PV15. Did you purchase your PV15 with the teflon caps already installed or was it something you added? I would be curious to hear your impressions of before and after if you did the upgrade.

[Elvis160]

Hi George,

Yes. I have the same experience - I have to crank up the PV15 very far to bring out all of the detail. It's like the PV 15 is fighting with the amp. With the C220, there seemed to be better gain and what I would call synergy. I could listen at lower levels and get a much fuller and rich sound. I just ordered some Gold Lion platinum tubes for the C220 and will put that back in the system. When the C220 was working, I really enjoyed the sound. Very hard to say which one is better. I think I chose the C220 because it has better ergonomics, a headphone amp and it looks better. Also, it doesn't "fight" with the Mac amp. I'm glad I kept the PV15, however. I don't think I'll ever part with it.

I've had the PV15 for almost 10 years. I had the C1 upgrade done 3 years ago. And it took about 500 hours to break in. I have about 1200 hours on it now (but I've had to re break it in since it was not being used for about 8 months). Yes, there is definitely a difference. The C1 has much more detail and presence.

How do you like your MC275VI? That's a great piece.

Robert

[g_georgi]

Hi Robert,

The MC275 is a really nice piece with features that I really value in a modern tube amp. The sound is very good esp. in the midband, bass is present, at all volume levels, but is slightly subdued compared to my previous solid state amplifier. It's running on all stock tubes so I'm hopeful that a tube change down the road will improve bass response.

I'm going to keep my eyes open for a C220 or C2300 to try down the road but for now I'm happy with the PV.

Cheers,
George