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BAT VK50SE or CJ Premier 16LS Series ll


I have been auditioning preamps for quite some time. I’m basically interested in bi-amping my SS amps with tube preamps, looking to do this right the first time (yeah right! :) I’ve finally narrowed it down to these two fine tube preamps.

Balanced Audio TechnologyVK50SE

Conrad Johnson Premier16LS Series ll

Would anyone be so kind as to share any experiences they may have had with either of these preamps? Would anyone be able to provide a comparison of the two? Any info is appreciated.
dannyv
keithr
950 posts
 
I would save a bunch of dough and buy 2 Cary Rocket 88s and the Cary 2002 preamp and vertically biamp. You can even try it with one, or get a single V12. Once you go tubes, you will forget Rotel and JDRG (which I have owned both btw).

Dennis Had has done this with 801s and was one of the best sound rooms at CES. Can't wait to hear this combo at HE2002.
avnut
153 posts
 
Since you are considering BAT, I can tell you that a vk500 and the 50se pre will give you power, dynamics, and a very well rounded but not overly beautified sound. My 2 cents are based on my experience with a 50se, vk1000's, and 801's.
Have fun!
sidssp
1,077 posts
 
Dannyv:

I am not sure what impedance mismatch problem you have been hearing. I have been using a BAT-VK50SE to biamp Theta Dreadnaught for a few years with great results. My speaker was Martin Logan SL3 and recently, upgraded to Vandersteen Model 5. The input impedance of the Dreadnaught is 100k on XLR and I connect it to the BAT with 4M balanced interconnects.
john_l
782 posts
 
VK50SE is the best preamp I've heard.
czbbcl's avatar
czbbcl
1,699 posts
 
The CJ 16LS series II is simply one of the finest pre-amps available, except for the CJ ART, it matches especially well with ss amps.
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