Hi Brainwater, Tim and Fjn, I've had the Premier 7b in the past. I think it was (and still is) a fine preamp. But to much hassle with tubes, so I changed to solid state (Accuphase C-290V, which is also very good). In my opinion the older CJ's have lots of air surrounding instruments and voices. I thought it could be a bit of false (artificial) "halo" or "air" somehow generated by the tube design I suppose, because it could be heard on nearly every recording. It was certainly pleasant but probably not what one hears in real live.
new CJ sound compared to old CJ sound
I am considering going back to a CJ linestage. Having owned the ART, the 16LS series 1 , and the premier 14 , I am familiar with the great dynamics, dimensionality, and that draw you in to the music quality those units had while in front of my old premier 8a amps. I was wondering if any of you have had any experience w/ the CT-5 or ACT2, and how the new CJ house sound may compare w/ the previous units I have owned. It would not be much of a surprise to hear the newer models are quieter, more dynamic, and have greater detail, but do they still retain all the qualities of the older units while doing so?