Power Amp to Match CJ Premier 17LS

I had the reverse situation. I bought c-j premier 12's, and the sound was so laid back, dark, and rich, that I was hesitant to match it with a c-j preamp. Mind you, this was just *my* situation, with *my* speakers, and might not apply to everyone else.

Anyway, I went with an ARC Ref 1, which has a leaner, brighter sound. This balanced the lushness of the c-j beautifully, and in fact allowed it to come through with great impact.

Therefore, if I were in your position, I might consider an ARC power amp, or even solid state--in short, something with a lighter, brighter tonal balance. For me, a c-j preamp mated with a c-j power amp--in *my* situation--would probably have been too much of a good thing.

As a matter of fact, my prior situation was perhaps even more similar to yours: I had a c-j PV-5 preamp mated with a solid state PS Audio 200c, and this worked beautifully for around 20 years.

When I had a PV-5 preamp and a PS Audio 200c power amp, I had Magnepan MG-IIB's. This was an excellent combination. Later, I bought Martin-Logan CLSII's, and though the combination sounded fine, the amp would tend to run a little hot, no doubt due to its being called upon to produce a large amount of current to drive the M-L electrostats.

My current combo--the ARC Ref 1 preamp and c-j premier 12 monoblocks--not only sounds better (for the money, it should), but the c-j amps seem to have an easier time than the PS Audio in driving the Martin-Logans. As a matter of fact, they even run cooler! Go figure.

My front end back in the PV-5/PS Audio days was a Proceed PCD CD player and a Denon DP-60L turntable w/Denon 103D cart. My front end now is a Sony SCD-1 (SACD player and CD transport) and Musical Fidelity Tri-Vista 21 DAC; and a VPI Aries 2/JMW-10/Denon 103.