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Tubed preamps and Power amps- How old is too old???

I am currently using a Conrad Johnson Premiere LS17 preamp. This preamp was well regarded when it came out a bit over 20 years ago and list price was over $4000. It has probably seen 8000-10,000 hours of play time. The tubes are all Amperex that test and work fine.

To my ears, it sounds great. That being said, at what point either due to wear of internal parts and/or improved design, is it worth replacing? There is no doubt that things on the digital side of things have move quickly with respect to innovation and implementation but what about preamps and power amps, especially tube ones?

Any members, replaced aging tubed preamps and power amps and found it worthwhile assuming you stayed at a similar quality level? If you wanted to upgrade from my preamp, what would you consider? Budget of $7500 max. For reference, I use digital sources and an R2R Dac and Quicksilver Mid Mono Power Amps into reasonably efficient speakers. No phono section required or wanted.

128x128alvinnir2
alvinnir2's avatar
alvinnir2 OP
103 posts
 

Having the caps checked is a good idea. I have thought about CJ Power Amps. Being that I have tried a variety of output tubes in the Quicksilvers ( 6550s, KT88, and EL 34s ) I have come to prefer the sonic signature of the EL34 tube over the others mentioned. So something like a CJ Classic 60 would be a consideration. Can't say it would be an improvement over the Quicksilvers. Anyone compared them?

pindac's avatar
pindac
2,439 posts
 

It does depend on the ones confidence around tasks usually undertaken by a EE.

I have experienced Valve Amplification where the foundation of the Amp' has been its very aged Output Transformers, that are repurposed using modern parts for the Schematic and Topology.

Any Amp' from a particular time frame can have a Circuit assessed for the measured accuracy of parts used.

Exchanging Parts for many is not too much of a chore or a concern.   

rmdmoore
148 posts
 

I recently tly purchased a 20 year old pair of Atma-Sphere MA-1s. They were purchased from a dealer and had been recapped and retubed. They sounded better than anything I'd had in my system or that I'd heard at a shop. My point is that some of that technology hasn't changed all that much. If you like your CJ then consider getting it recapped and after 10k hours maybe replace the tubes. 

cey's avatar
cey
201 posts
 

well, the favorite conrand johnson preamps are PV5, premier 3 and PV8, which are...i dunno. late 80s and early 90s.

one of the consensus best is marantz 7, another is citation 1, another the audio research sp-3(A)-1.

serious tube people are still crazy about several oof the HH scott preamps, integrateds...maybe an eico also. i forget.

there are more to mention.

some of the best tube gear is vintage, some of it is a few years old, some of it is current production.

im not familiar with your conrad. 

ive had old tube preamps and found it worthwhile to service, maintain and increase the performance but improving parts quality and whatever upgrades are most appropriate. basic service is a recap, and it goes from there.

rubicon15
82 posts
 

I agree. You really need to be asking this question on the Conrad Johnson Owners group. There, you will find a lot of very knowledgeable audiophiles who have experience with CJ equipment. The LS17 is a classic. At one time, it was highly regarded by many users. If you are interested in having it serviced, call CJ. For what it’s worth, I would only have CJ service the unit. I’m a longtime CJ owner - amp, preamp, and CD player. 

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