Conrad Johnson MV60SE vs. Audio Research VS55

I guess these products are so new that no one has had a chance to compare them. I'll try to do it myself over the next month or so and follow up on my own question.

I have just completed an evaluation between the ARC VS110 and the CJ MV60SE and there is no contest. The CJ wins hands down in my ears. The CJ is more open, better soundstage, tighter bass, fuller midrange. As to the VS55 and the VS110 of which I have tried both, they are woolly in the bass, the soundstage is ill defined and lacking.
Save your money and buy the CJ....brilliant.

Yes, I have compared the VS55 against the MV60SE and the CJ won hands down. The CJ was more open, faster, transparent so I bought it. My pre-amp is a Audio Research SP16, so the obvious choice should have been either a VS55 or a VS110, I tried both against the MV60SE and as they say...I put my money where my mouth is.

There was an indirect comparison (back to back reviews) about a year ago between the MV60 (not se version) and the ARC in HiFi+. Their conclusion was that the CJ, even then, was a better amp. From my personal experience, the MV60SE is a clear winner. Dynamic, specific, musical, wide and deep soundstage, defined bass. The ACR is not as detailed or specific. The bass is not as tight and overall comes off sounding dry, maybe even sterile.

i have a cj mv60se,i never heard the arc but i can tell you if you can get a nice used cj at a good price say... uh 1500.00 to 18.00 grab it. the 60se is a lot of amp,reliable and the sound just wraps around you clean and clear.the funny thing is i have it hooked to the preout of a low end harmon kardon 235 surround receiver lolololol and i cant take my ears off of it olololololoo.maybe its the meadowlark osprey speakers i dont know for sure.its certainly not the sony cdr for discs.cant wait till i can get a good tube pre amp for it.i got real lucky i bought my cj brand new in sealed box on audiogon auction for 1900.00 i drove and picked that bad boy up in heart beat. i love audiogon ...love it, love it baby o yea!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You can now have the caps in the MV 60 upgraded to teflon and that will take you close to CJ premier level performance. If you have the MV 60 consider all the upgrades.

doesnt the mv 60se have the teflon caps ????? oh my god tell me more!....if not what upgrades are available

As someone who has done these upgrades the C/J sounds excellent. Coupling cap upgrades are always nice provided the caps used are complimentary. It does take some time for those caps to break in however.

The MV60SE does not have teflon caps. It is an amazing transformation. More detail. More music. More open. Quieter, smoother. It will sound like a new amp 10+ times better. But it takes 200 hours to burn in the new caps. A wait very much worth while. Call CJ and talk to them. Don't rely on us.

I'm an authorized C/J service facility.

For those that are making a decision today and find this discussion. Just to put in another thought on the other side. General rule of thumb is BAT is neutral to a bit warm. CJ is the most warm. Audio REsearch is the most analytic. Each means something good and something bad. And, of course, don't forget it has so much to do with the rest of your system, room, and taste. Nobody can compare for you. You have to do it yourself.

And this is years after those items left the market. They still were both darn good and used, can be spectacular buys.

IMHO, cj always trumps Audio Research. Over many years of comparing the 2 brands, cj gear sounds more like real, live music. The AR gear has a slight electronic "glaze" over the sound that makes the music sound more "reproduced" than "produced".

how much for the caps hifigeek warranty etc.and where are you located ? thanx ...glasspak

I have replied to you Glasspak but it doesn't seem to post. Also sent you mail. Did you not get it?

Like gjgoldy said, the preference is very system dependant. In mine, with Proac 2.5s the golden glow of the CJ is not required so the VS55 is the better, more musical amp.