I have owned or used all of these preamps. Does that make me neurotic?
The PV-2 is a fantastic preamp. Rather slow and emphasizing the body of the tone over the leading edges it is rich and full bodied. It lacks detail and is somewhat rolled off but with very good dynamics. This is a very old preamp and one should be very careful about the condition of the caps and pay particular attention to any hum. If you are considering this preamp definitely get the PV-2ar which is the last iteration and has several power supply enhancements that make it much better. It can easily be identified as the knobs are black rather than champagne. You did not mention it, but the PV-5 is like a PV-2 on steroids, with greater extension and detail. It is well within your price range and, if you like this sound will be a better choice. Very few preamps put the music together as well as these two. They are both greater than the sum of their parts.
The PV-8 was a disappointment to me. It is an amalgam of the older sound as described above and a more linear, literal sound. To me it always seemed clogged sounding without letting the music shine through. It was not in production for very long and this may be why. My least favorite of all of the CJ preamps. I hope that someone else will weigh in and have a different perspective.
The PV-11 really is a preamp that begins to combine the old with the new. It is less bloomy than the PV-5 yet still favors the body of the tone over the leading edge. More wood, less metal. But gets much closer to the middle, with better extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum. Dynamics are good, as is detail. It is a nice contrast to the PV-5, while still having the CJ house sound. It will not romance you like the PV-5 but tells a truer story which may tip the balance in it's favor. Being much newer, issues of age will be diminished, though not eliminated. Good luck.
Marty
The PV-2 is a fantastic preamp. Rather slow and emphasizing the body of the tone over the leading edges it is rich and full bodied. It lacks detail and is somewhat rolled off but with very good dynamics. This is a very old preamp and one should be very careful about the condition of the caps and pay particular attention to any hum. If you are considering this preamp definitely get the PV-2ar which is the last iteration and has several power supply enhancements that make it much better. It can easily be identified as the knobs are black rather than champagne. You did not mention it, but the PV-5 is like a PV-2 on steroids, with greater extension and detail. It is well within your price range and, if you like this sound will be a better choice. Very few preamps put the music together as well as these two. They are both greater than the sum of their parts.
The PV-8 was a disappointment to me. It is an amalgam of the older sound as described above and a more linear, literal sound. To me it always seemed clogged sounding without letting the music shine through. It was not in production for very long and this may be why. My least favorite of all of the CJ preamps. I hope that someone else will weigh in and have a different perspective.
The PV-11 really is a preamp that begins to combine the old with the new. It is less bloomy than the PV-5 yet still favors the body of the tone over the leading edge. More wood, less metal. But gets much closer to the middle, with better extension at both ends of the frequency spectrum. Dynamics are good, as is detail. It is a nice contrast to the PV-5, while still having the CJ house sound. It will not romance you like the PV-5 but tells a truer story which may tip the balance in it's favor. Being much newer, issues of age will be diminished, though not eliminated. Good luck.
Marty