2. amps-preamps
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The final Act in a study in preamps the ART 3

Tom Cruise is rescuing a female agent he trained in Mission Impossible 3. He finds her alive but weak . He needs her to jump up and save the world with him so he shoots her in the chest with a jolt of adrenaline . She was alive technically but now she instantly becomes superwoman..... for while anyway. Thus goes the saga of my latest personal occupation . The study of a few remarkable preamps.

I did an "impression" of the CJ Act 2. I then did a follow-up on the replacement , the Act 2.2. The 2.2 was the superwoman injected with the adrenaline to be sure. It certainly was capable of conquering the world with Tom but alas, the story takes another Hollywood twist : Enter the Conrad Johnson ART 3 .

This again is an impression piece and this starts a series of posts dedicated to resolving this work of ...." Art".

There will only be 25 made , half are already sold and at 25k , doesn't fit into many audiophiles budgets. I am lucky to be without kids , with an incredibly understanding wife and have the time, passion and patience to address this study competently. It has about 50 hours on it , hardly enough to press a key but what needs too be stated are a few obvious differences between the Act and Art series of valve preamps from Lew and Bill.

The system it is being evaluated in is as follows. Aerial 20 T main speakers , 2 Aerial SW 12 subs , Conrad Johnson LP 140 Monoblocs , APL Hi Fi NWO 2.5 Universal player , Kubala Sosna Emotion cables . Sound Application RLS conditioners , Sistrum stands.

The Art starts deeper in the Yin region initially than either Act siblings. The Acts ability to settle comfortably inside itself is really interesting to watch... or listen to. The Act fidgets around moving up towards neutral as it fleshes out its unique sonic character and strengths . Then it emboldens the midrange blooming luxuriously as the Teflon caps mature into something that draws you inside its world of color and speed. This phenomenon seems to settle it back into the yin where the midrange takes you ... " body and soul . " It never however loses its grip on transparency , immediacy , leading edge definition and ambience retrieval. The 2.2 however continues the evolution and struts its sonic wardrobe in unimaginable directions and leaves you passionately involved with your beloved music library.This is the moment we wait for : the connection to the music that literally moves you and keeps you glued to your seat for hours on end. It is simply what CJ is famous for. Whether I regret losing the 2.2 over the ART 3 will remain to be seen as the Act 2.2 was the best sounding preamp I have ever encountered by a wide margin . We will also see if the adrenaline pumping superwoman will be overcome by this intimidating newcomer that is threatening to bump her from Toms side . This will be interesting indeed . Stay tuned for progressive follow-ups to the final chapter in a 3 part series of preamplifiers from one of the most beloved audio companies ever formed . Conrad Johnson.

Brent Rainwater
brainwater
brainwater OP
520 posts
 
Cmach ,The difference between the Art 2 and 3 is the use of teflon caps , a new and improved power supply as well as a new circuit board layout. There are also improved rear connectors. Yes , 6922 tubes .
Hi Nickt , the preamps I have used have been the ARC Ref 2 and 3. Classe Omega , Aesthetix Callisto Sig , Hovland HP 200 , Cary spl 98 , Spectral DMC 30 sl and Vac Phi 2.0 .
Tomryan . The new designs employing the teflon caps and new topologies have bridged the gap between the lush romantic CJ gear of old and the detailed sound of say ARC Ref 3. In my view , its the best of both worlds.
khrys
446 posts
 
I am extremely impressed well beyond the point of mere envy with your experience with top tier preamps. Your impressions of CJ's new quintessence are appreciated but it does have a tough ACT to follow. I have always thought that splitting the difference between ARC's and CJ's voicing would be sublime. But in keeping with your TC/MI3 analogy, don't you think it would have been brilliant to call the new device the "Thetan". Then you'd have VIII levels of upgrades before you had to change the name to the "Xenu 4" and show those Krell people a few things about science fictionology.
douglesc
6 posts
 
I Just purchased a Superphon Rev 3. Boy is it good. No op amps inside. Very quiet and clean, Super detailing. It is a Buffer so no gain but it sounds like it has gain.
brainwater OP
520 posts
 
Khrys thats great , thanks for the heads up. Im still laughing!

Its interesting you say :

" I have always thought that splitting the difference between ARC's and CJ's voicing would be sublime."

On one hard its the most interesting to compare and the one I spent the most time doing. The other side is that they sound nothing alike so its fairly easy to acomplish. Im my view , from the preamps i studied , these two were my favorites but this is a personal choice as all of the others were extraordinary in their own right. I tried to get a DarTZeel and Burrmester and maybe an MBL as well but didnt have any friends willing to part with theirs for my "mad audio scientist mentality" study.
khrys
446 posts
 
Brent, I chose the HP 200 over the Ref2 but I have been much more impressed with the Ref3 but find still it a very slight tad lean. I have had little experience with the top tier CJs and again while most impressed found them to a tad lush. If the ART 3 finds the middle ground, sign me up. Keep us posted.

On another note, since getting my new W/P8s I have been auditioning new amplification and cables and just spent the weekend with the new Ayre MX-R SS monoblocs. They are very worthy of consideration and I think they would match extrordinarily well your Aerial 20Ts (I am not a dealer, BTW).

On the cable conundrum, I would be most interested in your impressions of the K-S Emotions and alternatives you considered. I put some Audioquest Sky IC and Everest SC and was astonished by the detail if not ultimately satisfied with the long term listenability. I'm wondering if K-S is one of those perfect middle grounds that I crave.

Too bad TC/KH were limited only to "silent birth". I hear the new "cryo" option substantially reduces "cri du chat" without the need for duct tape or tone deaf obstetricians.
Sooner or later they'll learn to turn the Antikythera device in the right direction and enter the 1st century BC.
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