Choice of 2 Pre-amps...which to choose ?

I've been offered for almost exactly the same money 2 pre amps that interest me:

Conrad Johnson PV 15 or a Chord CPA 2200.
My system is Solid State pre and phono stage with valve mono blocks.
I'm worried that going down the all valve route ( CJ PV15) may make the system too warm or is that not an issue?
Thanks.

 

I'd go with the CJ, don't think they add too much "warmth" esp with your monoblocs.

 

Ta. Must admit I'm 80/20 in favour of the CJ myself.

 

With the Reference 3a's and the Valve monos a TVC would be a good choice. Theres lots of argument about the which is the best. Stevens and Billington are some of the best IMHO.

 

TVC..transformer volume control ?
Showing my ignorance here....how does that differ from a normal pre?
You can give me the short answer if you want

 

I'd probably go the TVC route, given you already have valve power amps. Agree the Music First is one of the best, but the Django TVC with amorphous core is not bad either, they have some new stuff since I heard that and it will prob be very good also.

 

Ultimately it's down to your taste in music!
The Chords has better resolution but has tendency to sound bright in the wrong set up while the Conrad's creamy smooth will offend no one (but wouldn't be overly exciting either)

 

Due to being stuck out in a field in Monmouthshire with no decent hifi shops near, I've been unable to do any TVC listening.
Based on the Veenas having a *slight* tendency to be just a hint brighter than I would ideally like, I've plumped for the 1 year old CJ PV15.
The Chord 2200 was 8 years old, so i decided on the CJ for two reasons.

Must remember that the CJ amp is phase inverted, which i gather means you swap the speaker cables over so they are "wrong" !

 

Yes, but other components in the chain could be inverting phase too, so be careful here. Best to listen carefully in both configs to see if there is any difference.

Very nice system you have there BTW. Even before the CJ.

DT

 

i was using a tube technology unisis with valve mono's and took a punt on a django tvc with sb trannies.
it took a bit of getting used to, but the detail and musical presentation is astounding!
at first, using the tvc sounded a lot thinner and lighter, but it dawned on me that it was the detail that was coming through that was masked by the valve pre. it drives my cd player to more level cleanly than the unisis did and is superbly made too.

 

As far as I know only the CJ is phase inverting, the PrimaLuna's are wired up in the "normal" way as is the Dynavector pre.
Thanks for the compliment.
Hopefully the CJ and the new (s/h) Consonance CD will mark the end of the 2007/2008 system "renaissance" !