How well does Conrad-Johnson do digital?

I've owe c-j DR1 transport and Premier 9 DAC for four years
now, and still intend to leave happy with them for a while.
The lack of qualities mentioned above, were absolutely
compensated by a Genesis Digital Lens ( in spite of the
1 bitstream in the c-j, they get a synergistic effect together...). I used a AR tube preamp and Brystons 7B
ST monos ( BTW, gave the Brystons an audition, instead of
lisnenig to the snobs with fat waletts )to drive a pair of Apogee Scintillas.
A gentlemen who owns Tact Audio ( amp and room correction )
and vey expensive speakers and gear overall, complemented
me on the sound. I was pleased and enjoying it anyway...
I didn't see more that two or three Premier 9s for sale
on the used market during the last few years, so I think that this is also a good sign...

I agree with Art's assessment. I currently use CJ DR-1/DA2b combo, which I have compared head to head with Levinson, Jadis, Goldmund, Copland, EAD, etc... For the money, the CJ system is great. It might be described as laid-back or a tad bit soft when compared with much higher-priced gear, but it has a rightness to its presentation which is very analogue-like. CJ's greatest shortcoming is the lack of the ooomphh in the bass that I have gotten from other front ends. The bass is, however, very well defined and harmonically rich. Replacing the stock 6gk5 tubes with Mullards have made subtle improvements.

Jeff

Stunning beauty in the midrange, natural highs and bass with texture. Not the quickest, not the most detailed, not the tightest bass, but a beautiful sound. Needs to be left plugged in - the solid state part is always on - and the tube section needs 15 minutes of warm up, perhaps a bit more. It does not have HDCD or 24 bit chip, but it makes cds sound lovely. Less expensive solid state players sound rather mechanical by comparison. A great competitor is the Sonic Frontiers SFCD (available now only used). It is a tube unit as well. In the character of SF, it has more extended highs and deeper bass and is a bit faster and more detailed than the CJ, but it is far less musical, especially in the midrange. The SFCD is an excellent player though, not mechanical sounding, just a slightly different representation of reality vs the CJ.
Art