Rotel conrad-johnson


Does anyone have experience with conrad-johnson pv10 or pv12 preamp and Rotel 1080 power amp combination?
Johnny7
johnny7
I have not had that combo, but with CJ gear its good to keep it the same they have very good synergy. Although a great combo is a really good solid state amp and a really good tube preamp you end up getting a lot of bloom in the top end. Becareful some tube preamps are sloppy on the bottom end. Sometimes you can correct that by changing the tubes but that doesnt have too much control but it helps good luck.
I ran a PV-10 with a CJ MF2100 solid state amplifier for a long time and it was just great. I got the idea for this combo because it was recommended in various publications at the time. Do not know how the PV-10 would work with a Rotel. There are quite of few used PV-10s available, so just buy one and if it's not to your liking you can probably sell it and get your money back. The MF2100 is rated 100 watts, but you could pick up a used MF2200 or MF2300 if you need more power. Since they are noew discontinued models, used prices are better. There are some new/demo/factory refurbished CJ amps with warranty at www.SpearitSound.com if you want better than used. I did try the combo with a PV-11 (which is similar to the PV-12) and found the sound a little dry/dull.
I own a PV12. Excellent pre-amp. Surround it with good electronics and you will be amazed. I feel that CJ really knows how to utilize tubes the best. Sounds best after being left on for a few days.
I ditto Argent. The PV-11 did sound a lot better after it was on for awhile. I did not like to leave it on, so it usually got up to speed by the time I was going to shut it off. My PV-10 sounded good cold and warm.
I have used a CJPV10a with a Sonagraph ( Lower end CJ ) amp and a Proceed HPA2. It sounded great with both. I would recomend you give it a shot. I think you will happy with the results.
The PV10 is a giant killer, a true bang for your buck component. I'm far from a techno wizard but you might want to check with CJ on how it mates with the low input impedance on the Rotel (with most of their models) and the relatively high output impedance of the CJ.
I have a Rotel RB-1080 amp and have tried it with the PV-10B and it works well it just lacks some of the detail of the CJ MF2200. I ended up with the PV14 and am looking to upgrade the amp. The Rotel amp is quite a bargin considering it is less than half the price of the CJ and offered about 85% of the performance.