Conrad Johnson Act 2 series 2 First Impressions


This will be an ongoing thread as I will periodically post my impressions as this unit breaks in . I owned the Act 2 series one for over a year and became quite familiar with its strengths and sonic character. The Act 2 series 2 has just arrived and I have 90 hours on it thus far . What is immediately obvious is the improvement in the midrange to the lower midrange . The notes and their color are fleshed out with greater ease and immediacy . I was listening to Diana Kralls Steppin Out and on virtually the entire disc , the difference between the two units is startlingly obvious. There is more depth and decay to acoustic bass notes imo. The brushes as they glide across the drum kit reverberate for a longer period and her voice has more of her chest in it. This is not to slight the Act 2 as I loved every second I listened to it . Its just that this new preamp is digger deeper in the midrange. The Teflon caps in their new gear takes 300 hours to break in in my experience so this observation is initial and superficial . I just wanted to begin this in public so those interested could follow my journey. More to come after 150 hours. Thanks .
brainwater

Showing 6 responses by jtimothya

Thanks for the report Brent. I'm looking forward to reading more of your impressions.
You feel the emotion and fire he breathes into the strokes of the paintbrush ... I find myself tapping my foot , hammering my heel, swaying uncontrollably and generally grooving to virtually everything I am listening to.

Dynamics, timing, and timbre - the fundaments of music - thats what the ACT2 has always been about. Sounds like it is now even better. :-)

Tim

Here is some info about the differences in the ACT2.2 upgraded from the original:
- improved power-supply architecture;
- eight-fold increase in size and upgrade from polystyrene to Teflon for the capacitor by-passing the input filter;
- upgrading the remaining capacitors in the audio circuits from polystyrene to Teflon;
- improvements in grounding;
- added internal shiled results in a 5dB noise reduction.

Fwiw, I'm running the 'NOS' 6H30П-DRs - *maybe* they yield a faint increase in higher frequency extension. Now that the price has really jumped on these - purportedly the last stock available - I'm not sure there is a lot of payback for this tube roll in the ACT2.

I really wanna hear the new CJ TEA1 phonostage - anyone had a listen yet?

Cheers,
Tim

Rb99 - yes, I used the Walker SST on tubes across my valve gear. It does seem to make an improvement. I'm not entirely sure if the effectiveness wears off after a while, or maybe I just got used to it. Haven't tried the uplevel or gold versions. I'm using a Shunyata Helix Python on the ACT2 - its an excellent power cord.

And fwiw, the price Brent cited is the same as I've heard.

Cheers,
Tim

Hey Shane! I'm pretty happy with the PH7, so no near term changes planned - glad it had enough gain for you. Its not that the Xono is bad - its got verve, air, and is quite flexible - just that the PH7 is better in most areas. I think the latest round of top-tier components from ARC (eg, Ref3, PH7) is a bit of a break-through for them. I expected one thing from the PH7, but got another and was quite pleasantly surprised.

WRT the TEA1 (Triode Equalization Amplifier)... I don't know much. The unit may not officially be released. Sometimes Brent gets his hand on stuff early in the pipeline, so my question was something of a teaser. I believe the TEA1 is CJs latest take on state-of-the-art in phonostages and preliminary info sez: zero feedback, two tube gain stages, two inputs, $10k price tag. Don't know if it has any FETs, etc. I *may* get my hands on one later this year for review.

We now return you to your ACT2 thread. :-)

Cheers,
Tim

Hi Bob - I don't know details of a new ACT2.2 versus an upgrade. Sometimes CJ puts a little metallic 'sticker' on the back of upgraded units. Brent has a good ear and his reports have me very interested to learn the sonic differences. I can never truly imagine what an improved component will sound like until I hear it. Imo, the v.1 ACT2 is a a top-shelf linestage, so when CJ says it the v.2 offers "significantly improved dynamic impact and greater body and weight" along with "higher resolution", it certainly piques my interest. If you get the upgrade done, kindly report back. I'm saving up!

Cheers,
Tim