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Preamp shootout: Joule, CJ, BAT

Just finishing up listening after weekend shootout. Thanks to dealers and my friend. The BAT 50 SE, the CJ 14 and the Joule Electra 100 MkIII (think up a shorter name!) The winner, Joule by a slender margin over the CJ. The Joule had it in bass and layering of instruments and air. The CJ was lush, not as lush as my earlier model, but now a little glare (the difference in signal tubes now used I think, versus the NOS in the Joule.) The CJ has definitely changed its sound and is not as "round" as before. The Joule is just tighter and places instruments in real space better, giving it a seamless sound. The BAT was probably not a factor after the first day. No one (5 total listeners) liked it much, got no votes. Kinda flat and noisy too. The quietness of the Joule might have influenced our verdict on the noiseness of the BAT. Maybe we should have changed the tubes, but no time. All preamps (LS) broken in. Amps included Art Audio monos, ARC 100s trioded to 50 watts, CJ 75 watt monos, CJ 75 watt stereo, Mesa Baron EL. Soliloquy, Merlin and Martin Logan speakers. Totems sig ones briefly. (This is work!) I'm buying the Joule for it's width, depth, quietness, separation of instruments, bass, and best balance between warmth and clarity. For those shopping out there, get the used Joules. They are a bargain at Audiogon prices. Best speakers were Merlin first, Martin Logan second, Totem third and Soliloquy tied with the Totems (pretty good little speakers! But highly modded by my friend, including new wiring, etc.) Wish I had more time...but that's the short version. BTW, all the preamps/LS are about the same price retail. and quick, best amps were Mesa triode zero feedback EL34 tied with Art Audio on efficient speakers. I'll post more later if I can if people want to discuss. The Martin Logans with REL are mine but I think after this exhausting shootout (best cables were Analysis plus and Synchestra Signature) I might go for the Merlins which really shocked me with their electrostatic like disappearing act and bass. (How do they get that bass!) Post again if it flames up.
macinman6d4e
djsuperstring
2 posts
 
Great post. I've spent a lot of time with these units and I think you encapsulate the differences very well. At the end of the day, I decided on the Placette active linestage over the Joule or the BAT because it worked best with my particular setup, particularly in that I am emphasizing high resolution digital on the front end (including SACD).
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drubin
3,274 posts
 
Macinman, which is the "old" Meridian model and which is the new?
macinman6d4e OP
3 posts
 
the old, or just recently discontinued was the 508,24 the new is called, I believe, the 588. (see earlier threads on other sites on the reason for change--wasn't sonic quality at all, it was sourcing--some people here got quite detailed about exactly what transport was called--the Phillips pro 12 I think?) They haven't been credit, except Stereophile, etc. for how innovative the design was--for example, how they chose the best opamps, the way it absolutely kills jitter--as their charts showed in Sphile etc. Because Bob Stuart has a huge business in home theater, pro audio, powered speakers, decorders, etc, etc. he may have made a public relations mistake by not pushing the CD players reviews and quality more. Most of us are not into professional $100,000 home theater setups and he definitely (read audioasylum posts by rodgold) thinks the 500 series, including the brilliant 518, are just minor parts of his business. He could have dominated the cdp market, especially at this price point.
karlojay142c
1 posts
 
Fantastic synergy with Classe. I use a big ol Classe and Joule on my even bigger Magneplanars--the whoppers, and sounds fabulous. I went through more preamps than mac. Probably ten, Audible Illusions, CJ, all the ones you see advertise. Jud barely advertises because there is no way he could be a bigger company and serve his customers properly. It is a small company, like Merlin, that has been really successful remaining small and staying out of the big advertisements that you see in audio mags that cost plenty and force you to sell more units to make a profit, and the first thing that goes is quality. Cheaper parts, higher prices, more employees who need benefits, raises, etc. If you are like me, an older audiophile, you need an excel spreadsheet to list all the "great" audio companies that have gone out of business since I started and began reading the mags. I had the great Hapi One preamp by Hageman, great reviews, out of business. You can go on for months. How many companies has Bob Carver burned through and now he's basically down to a subwoofer company.
One thing original post hasn't gotten around to is the amazing tweaks the owner can do with this preamp, which should cost $10000 to get the attention it deserves. It can be tweaked with a cheap multimeter (Jud coached me on the phone and it took me two minutes!) and one can sweeten it up, make it brighter, etc. It is point to point component wiring with really expensive Purist, they use huge copper traces on a circuit board ONLY for grounding! You can sub tubes for different sound, again user adjustable according to simple instructions from Jud. All the boards are using EAR washers and extensive EAR deadening (just tap on this machine anywhere--its quiet) Lots of other brilliant innovations in power supply (Batteries!) and stuff you can't find at this price point. Frankly, its a steal. You don't need footers or anything, and when you try even Aurios, no difference.
houston4704
1 posts
 
I bought CJ way over twenty years ago and agree about growing a company and keeping prices under control. When they began in their "garage" I got fantastic prices and great customer service. When I came back to the company five years ago I looked inside, and nothing new, not any innovative parts, etc. Everything in the product line was made to a price point. You had to pay more for better this or better that. Check out the gorgeous very expensive Cardas jacks, the expensive nos 5751 and other tubes. You know that super tube that BAT brags about, Joule has already been using all these oddball extra cost Russian nos tubes in their amps, preamps, without bragging about it or asking you for an extra grand. When you buy a Joule, as macinman is going to find out, you can't upgrade the tubes since they are already nos! You won't have to send it back. (My CJ blew up once. They admitted their protection circuit was f#@ked up and they put in a different bigger circuit. Guess who paid for it? Me. And it cost about a third of the total retail cost of my amp to begin with.) You get Joules that don't break, ever. He should brag about it, but he doesn't advertise. So you don't get reviewed unless its a small mag that hasn't got big advertisers whose products HAVE to be reviewed to keep them happy. So Joule stays small and answers the phones and stay in business for decades by giving you tons of performance and better parts for less money. Thats why we all are here, right?
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