2. amps-preamps
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Conrad johnson amp with Musical Fidelity pre

My amp-preamp combo is:
CJ 2250 (SS, 125wpc) + MF A3.2cr preamp. I'm using a Ah! CD player

I bought this pre-amp pair in my reawakening of audio joy. During my research, I noted that each unit was often referred to as 'musical'. In addition, descriptions of each contained many similarities.

I've since spoken with an audio-invested friend of mine and expressed some, not a lot, of dissatisfaction regarding the quality of the sound. He suggested that while both components are musical, the CJ is tubier despite being SS and the MF is analytical and cold. Whatever the case, he suggested I post for others' to comment.

Any thoughts or experiences out there with these items separately or together?
swimmerone

Showing 2 responses by rar1

rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
I currently use a Musical Fidelity CD PRE 24 (3.2 preamp/cd player/DAC in one package) and pair it with a Prima Luna Prologue 5 tube power amp ... very musical and elegant sounding. I had a MF A3 integrated amp prior to this set-up ... very musical, as well. My experience with MF has been a pretty good one. (But after reading some of these threads, I am beginning to wonder if I know what musical sounding is anymore)

For argument's sake, even if the MF A3.2 preamp were not as musical as you would like, I would think that your Ah Tjoeb tube cd player would warm up the sound somewhat.

So, two questions ... before your buddy offered his take on your system ... just what was your dissatisfaction with your system's sound? Secondly, what speakers are you using, as that's half of the equation?

Regards, Rich
rar1's avatar
rar1
1,811 posts
 
Musical Fidelity seems to have its fair share of both fans and flamers. Because MF's products frequently show up in the hifi magazines in both the advertising and reviews sections, the flamers tend to have a field day.

You are doing the right thing by experimenting and removing the preamp from the chain and seeing what the results will be.

The preamp is fed the signals from your source (which are essentially inaudible) and passes them to the power amp for amplification and those signals are fed to your loudspeakers. The preamp should be neutral and not add or detract to the signal it is being fed, but all components have a sonic signature and will affect the sound to some degree. Supposedly, passive preamps are the most pure. But you can see now, if the preamp doesn't get it right, everything you hear is affected.

Your situation is interesting. I would have thought that the Harbeth speakers would work well with the MF and the Ah Tjoeb. I don't have experience with CJ, so I don't know if that is the culprit. My MF set-up certainly does not sound thin (I am using Acoustic Research 302 speakers; 3 way; full range speakers from 1995).

Question: Are your speakers wired in phase (+ to +; - to -)? My apologies if that sounds like a KISS question, but it could explain thin sound.

Regards, Rich
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