Pre-Amp sound similar to Conrad Johnson

VAC Renaissance preamp has balanced in/out. I have not compared it to a CJ preamp but will say that it absolutely surpasses my previous Audio Research preamp in every aspect. The review in Stereophile is pretty much accurate although that was of the Signature version and I use the smaller Renaissance.

Are you looking for balanced inputs, outputs, or both? Only tube preamps that come to mind with both in/out are BAT and Atma-Sphere. Sonic Frontiers has XLR outputs, I think EAR has them. My Supratek has balanced outputs.

Counterpoint SA 5.1 and upgrades by Altavistaaudio.com. Best I ever heard!

Hello Goone, Why not have your 30se upgraded to the 31se? It will give you what you're looking for and more! Two months ago I had my 50se upgraded to the 51se and the difference to me was mucically profound. The upgrade was staggering in my opinion and worth every penny. Good luck, Tom

I have also been taken in by the CJ sound. Almost bought the LS16...Until I heard the Pass Labs X-1 pre. At its price-point it is every bit as sweet as the corresponding CJ, but is MUCH clearer, more detailed and open, and thrives on balanced interconnect. My opinion, of course.

Goone

Why what is the big deal about XLR? If you enjoy the CJ sound then enjoy it and don't worry about XLR/RCA.

Chuck

Thank you for all the responses, yes looking for tube pre-amp current using bat vk-30se don't get me wrong but it is a beautiful sounding just looking for something more warmer and sweet, just wish the cj offer the xlr but they are very stubborn.

I assume you are talking about the CJ ART unit as that is a transconductance amplifier? We build a unit that uses a fully balanced folded cascode transconductance amplifier using no global feedback, but done in FETs instead of tubes....

I have an Air Tight Pre that sounds very transparent and liquid, not at all muddy. I'm pairing it with a c-j 11A amp and the combo sounds great. Happy listening!

The Blue Circle 21 is good (although I have only auditioned it in an all BC setup and not mine), as are the Classe preamps, as far as warmth and musicality are concerned. Did you want tube or ss? However, my favorites are still the McIntoshes. They have the most impressive soundstage, sweetness, and clarity (awesome noise specs). I just love my little C712 - it is addicting. I temporarily swapped it out with the classe c35 and still like the 712 better (although to be fair, the c35 is cheaper). I like simple preamps. Besides, I love the Mc glass and knobs rather than pitiful little buttons so many pres have. The classe remote is much nicer than the Mcs but the sound is what I am most interested in. The XLR connections make a noteable difference but it is tough to compare directly with RCA since the cables are inherently different. I can't for the life of me figure out why CJ won't offer xlr. Oh well... Anyway, you cannot go wrong with any of these IMO and which to get will ultimately be personal taste. (with the C712, I use McIntosh mc7100, Sony ES, Paradigm Reference 100.2, all MIT cables).

You might also want to look into the Atma Sphere preamps. I understand the less expensive one is a relative bargain.

I had the same issues I believe you are having with the CJ pre. They had the warmest sweetest midrange but to me sounded a bit slow anf muddy. The best compromises I have found are Blue Circle (musical with detail) and BAT (warm with speed). Good luck!