The Conrad-Johnson Pre-amp is very warm-sounding in the treble and midrange. Instruments sound more realistic and full without the harsh and thin highs of a solid-state pre-amp. I still use a solid-state power amp but I am definitely sold on the tube pre-amp!

The Conrad-Johnson pre-amp gives up a little bit of fine detail in the bass region. I also feel it doesn't have quite the same impact in lower bass as a solid-state pre-amp. The tubes are also a bit noisier than solid-state equipment.

I feel the Conrad-Johnson pre-amp is great at making music sound musical. The presence it brings to the midrange and high frequencies make it a music-lovers dream. I auditioned the top-of-the-line Adcom GFP-750(solid-state)before I auditioned the tubed Conrad-Johnson. The Adcom is a nice piece, but the level of warmth of the midrange and treble on the Conrad-Johnson was missing from the Adcom. I feel everyone should at least give tubes a try in their system, particularly a tube pre-amp, just to see if they like what they hear.

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This piece is my first tube pre-amp.

I lived with this preamp for 4 yrs or so. It replaced a B&K Pro10MC. I sold it after I got sick of replacing tubes. A very, very musical preamp even though I hated the fact that its sound was dependent on the tubes. I once outfitted it with all golden dragon and was mesmerized by the sound. Not too soft, with good detail. These were for me, the best tubes with this preamp. Even though it's not extremely detailed, the musicality is undeniable. It runs very hot and needs good ventilation to preserve tube life. It probably also pays to leave it on all the time. It is more or less rolled off at the top and might not be a good match for polite systems. Highly recommended!I replaced it with a solid state PF2. They share the same CJ musicality but the PF2 is a clearly superior preamp.

I had my heart set on getting a Bryston BP25 or a Classe (I don't remember the model number) pre-amp for my system. Then, at Stereophile's Hi-Fi 96 show in NYC, I had the pleasure of meeting Lew Johnson. We spoke in length about equipment, and I said that I was about to purchase the Bryston Pre-Amp. He challenged me to compare the PV10A to the Bryston unit. When he spoke, he just showed so much sincerity and pride in his equipment, that I commited to check it out. The allure of getting a better sounding piece of equipment at a lower price was appealing too. Anyway, I immediately went out to compare the two. I was amazed at how good that tube unit sounded next to the solid state Bryston. Everything just sounded right (like the cj add says). Especially vocals! WOW! I was hooked. I have now owned that unit for over a year, and I just can't get enough of it. I highly recommend it. If you are into vinyl, you will really appreciate the phono pre-amp section.

I had my heart set on getting a Bryston BP25 or a Classe (I don't remember the model number) pre-amp for my system. Then, at Stereophile's Hi-Fi 96 show in NYC, I had the pleasure of meeting Lew Johnson. We spoke in length about equipment, and I said that I was about to purchase the Bryston Pre-Amp. He challenged me to compare the PV10A to the Bryston unit. When he spoke, he just showed so much sincerity and pride in his equipment, that I commited to check it out. The allure of getting a better sounding piece of equipment at a lower price was appealing too. Anyway, I immediately went out to compare the two. I was amazed at how good that tube unit sounded next to the solid state Bryston. Everything just sounded right (like the cj add says). Especially vocals! WOW! I was hooked. I have now owned that unit for over a year, and I just can't get enough of it. I highly recommend it. If you are into vinyl, you will really appreciate the phono pre-amp section.

I bought a used PV-10 from the listings here on Audio Review for $495. Then I spent $225 to have it serviced by c-j and for a new set of tubes.
It's a little noisy--I hear mild hiss through the speakers. So I thought I'd exchange it for a solid-state preamp to use with my turntable.

Dumb idea! I've now tried three "better" SS preamps in my system, and although all of them were dead quiet, none could hold a candle to the Conrad-Johnson musically. It was pretty amazing to me--all three were "faster" and more detailed, but all three were flattened out, dead-sounding, and synthetic compared to the c-j. The c-j is a little thick, a little slow, but it has a marvelous liquidity, richness, and LIFE that the others lack. There was no way I could switch...the results didn't allow me to. I would have been sacrificing too much. I'm sure there are better preamps out there, but I bet not for $500+upkeep. By direct comparison, three SS preamps in the $1,000 range could not even hold a candle to the c-j. I can't claim the PV-10A would be a bargain to other tube preamps at its full price, because I didn't compare it that way. But I've gained new respect for it and I'm no longer looking to upgrade.