Opinions on vintage cj amps and Teflon cap mods

I have owned the 5's and the 8's (about 2 years on each and about 8/10 years ago.)While they were hot stuff back then it's not hard to trounce them with today's amps.---Whatever you do you will have a very old amp that you could throw lots of money into; which you'll never re coupe.
If you got a hold of the CJ350,a SS amp;hooked it up to your speakers,if they are revealing enough---you wouldn't believe your ears.(or miss the tubes)---BTW I had Bill Thallman redo my 5's. My 8's were the triode/only version.---Compared to the SS amp these tubes amps are the poster picture of "soft-mushy" in tube amp design.

I'm with avguygeorge regarding the recoup of money spent on upgrades. Unless the guy doing the work knows his stuff, you could wind up with a result that is worth a lot less than the original. That being said, both C-J and Bill Thallman do GREAT work, and know the products inside and out.
I had Bill T. work on a pair of amps and a preamp (all of which are a lot older than your 5's)and I thought the sound was similar to pre-update, but had much more "clarity". My update was before Teflon caps were generally available.
Just like an vintage car; if you really love them, then have C-J do an upgrade, if you think they're lacking compared to the newer models, then don't.

Thank you, every post makes excellent points. I wouldn't be considering a modification of this expense if I wasn't considering these amps as long term keepers; long...long term. This modification is very expensive ($1800+ per chassis) and would be lunacy as an investment. However, and to my musical soul, there is an ineffable quality to these amplifiers that enables me to look past their audiophile shortcomings and enjoy music as I rarely do outside of a live event. I know that there are modifiers with excellent reputations, that would not restrict me to Teflon caps - Bill Thallman is certainly one; but the folks at cj believe that Teflon caps are the only worthwhile upgrade. It's a difficult decision to make without knowing the results. I don't want to lose the magic.

Pardon my naivete, but what kind of problems are endemic of older amplifiers. I know that caps eventually leak, but shouldn't a well maintained amplifier last indefinitely.

I'm with you on keeping the amps. I find my CJ amp a keeper in it's own right, I like it just because it offers a sound unlike the more modern tube amps I've owned or own.


I don't agree that Teflon caps are the only way to go, Jantzen Superior Z is a top choice, Duelund VSF copper the absolute best! Teflon has a sound, very clear and clean, too many can sometimes mess things up, synergy is paramount.

I don't know about amps lasting indefintely, but they should last a good long while. Nearly all parts have a definite lifespan, ask CJ about this.

Hi Phaelon,

Good point about not wanting to "loose the magic" -- just because CJ feels the teflon caps are an improvement, doesn't mean you'll like the sound of the so called upgrade. It might be better to go with an independent like Bill Thallman and do the changes one at a time. Upgrade the power supply, check it out. Then do the capacitors this might be the way to go. Regards...Paul