Change CJ Premier 12 to XS ??

bruce,first i'll start by saying that the following is my personal experience with cj pwr amp's,i've own the 11a,12's
and presently have the PREMIER 5's,i also had in my home for
two week's the 8a's,just too a/b them against the 5's.all the above amps with the exception of the 8a's i had in both
the ultralinear mode and triode mode,i prefer them in triode
mode,the power loss is very minimal in terms of listening levels,the midrange and treble become very liquid and warm,
dynamics slow down,but not to the point where the music is not enjoyable.of all the cj amp's,the premier 5 mono blocks
are my favorite,the 8a's only better them in the bass department.you don't mention what speaker's you have,that,s
a very important factor in your decision.my main speaker's at the time montana eps,pre-amp 16ls.cd resolution audio 55
cables analysis plus.good luck.

I have Wilson Witt II's, they are supposed to be a fairly easy load from what I have read. Thanks for the input.

I am about to send out my CJ Pr. 5s to Bill Thalmann for conversion to Triode operation, among other things (upgrades and mods). He highly recommended it, only drawback was some loss of power but at 200watts per side, I can afford to lose a bit and not have it be an issue. I'd say go for it, you can always convert them back if you don't like it.

ED,welcome to the CJ premier 5's club,my amp's where modified by bill.i run them triode and have yet heard a amp with such refinement and warmth.good luck. JOSE

I currently have the Premier 8xs amps, which I enjoy more than any other amp(s) I have ever owned, including the likes of Krell, Levinson, ARC, Cary, VTL, VAC, etc... I used to own the Premier 12's in BOTH configurations. I picked up the 12's cheaply, while already owning the 12xs version, figuring I'd keep one pair after a thorough head to head. I ultimately preferred the xs version, feeling they were somewhat more palpable and slightly less electronic in their presentation. I recall Myles Astor did a similar head to head in Ultimate Audio a few years back and reached a dissimilar conclusion, preferring the pentode version. Your ultimate preference may depend on your speakers and associated equipment, and, of course, your own set of audio priorities, For me, the triode version just sounds more natural and, dare I say- "musical". If you can find a good deal on a Premier 16LS, pick it up!! The 8xs/16LS combo is AWESOME!!!

Thanks Jose... glad to be part of the club. ;> I recently ordered some NOS Sylvania 5751 Gold Brand tubes for these amps... supposed to be the cat's meow as far as 5751s go. (Better be for $62/ea!)... currently have some NOS raytheons 5751s and RCA cleartops for the 6fq7s. (same tubes complement as the 8xs I think... ?) Svets in the El34 positions.

I just boxed these amps up today to send to Bill (ow! my aching back), will be a long 3-4 weeks without them!

It would be nice to be able to switch from ultralinear to triode like some amps can... anyone ever wire up their CJ's like that? (with a swtich).

take care,
-Ed

Thanks so far for the input. How do I get in touch with this fellow Bill Thalmann you have mentioned? Why would I want to utilize his services over those of CJ?

bruce,bill was the technical director of design for cj,20yrs
with conrad johnson,he design most of their tube amp's,he retired from cj december of 1999.you will not find anyone more qualified than bill.

bruce,you could reach bill at his shop,during regular business hour's at 703-764-7005.est.he's located in springfield virginia.i hope this has help. JOSE

Thanks again.