Mixing amps pre amps?

Just my own thought process on this no evidence to back it up but I think all the stereo imaging and all the warmth and stage starts in the pre amp. From there I think you just need a amp that isn't going to mess that up. I think the cj amp normally doesn't have as much low end but may sustain more warmth than say classe. I read a review somewhere on the premier 350 cj and the reviewer was comparing it to some mono blocks (large ones). While he said the mono blocks had more low end power which should be obvious since they are bigger and heavier. He said the detail and depth of the low end on the cj was like something he'd never heard before. He said there was a lot more going on in the low end than he had ever realized.

I also wondered about changing a power amp or preamp of another brand in a system, which component has more influence on the sound of the system. For example, if he changed to the classe ca2200 Power amp, and keeps the conrad johnson pv14L preamp, will his system take on the Classe sound more, or if he changes his preamp to the Classe CP-5, and keeps his CJ Power amp. I never really experimented with swapping out different components much(yet).

Thanks

The Classe CA-150's are bridged and my speakers are Aerial 8's. These love power and sing with this combination. The music that I enjoy ranges from female vocals,violin,pipe organ , to world music to Pink Floyd. I never cease to enjoy the music at low to high volume levels. Hope this helps. Sorry about the turnaround time I was away for a few days. Steve Levick

Rlawry, I checked and the amp input imp is 100kohms and the pre amp out imp is less than 200 ohms. Thats good or ok I geuss

thanks, Hey salevick what speakers are you pushing with the cj and classe mix? I may get classe or go back to cj. classe 2200 or even the mono blocks. cj et250s or premier 350. If I do decide on classe I may also audition the pre amp as they have it as a demo also. with cj I would definately stick with the pv14 although cj informed me they are coming out with a new preamp which is a descendant of the pv14 that is specifically meant for the et250s. Who knows, currently don't have a cj dealer here have to go over one state

I've got a C-J CA200 that inverts phase. When you use most C-J you have to reverse the positivie and negative at the speaker or amp. If you put a component in that does not phase invert, then you'll not need to switch positive and negative.

Getting the absolute phase of a system right is something that many people don't get right, even though it can improve the sound. Trial and error is the most common way to determine absolute phase, since each component in the chain has the potential to invert or not invert phase.

In other words, it's no big deal whether a component does or does not invert, you'll just need to put it in the system and try it both ways to see which sounds best.

Dave

My system is the CJ 14 with Classe CA-150's. I like the combo of tubes with the SS amp/amps. The sound is great for my listening room and music tastes. The bass is full and tight and the joy of tubes is there in the midrange. Hope that this helps. Steve Levick

I'll check th manual on that. What about the fact that cj does something like inverts the phase or something. does this matter.

As Dcstep says above, you should be able to mix brands of amps and preamps. The only time it could be a problem is if the preamp has a high output impedance and/or the power amp has a low input impedance. For practical purposes, the ratio of amp input impedance to preamp output impedance should be at least 10:1, preferably more if you don't want to get rolled off bass and treble.

Generally there's no problem mixing brands. Many even use a tube preamp with a SS amp of a different brand. Generally, there can be rare exceptions, there's no problems mixing brands and or tube vs. SS.

Dave