Conrad-Johnson Premier 2 Preamplifier

Description

Conrad Johnson Premiere 2 High End Tube Preamplifier Review / Test:

Overall Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)

The tube is DEAD, long live the tube. I’m sure some tube lovers have said this before. Originally, the old trans was supposed to replace the tube. But no such luck! The tube plays an extraordinarily important role in the high-end sector. More and more manufacturers are producing the same and the market really does seem to be flooded. Given the variety, people often turn to the Far East and buy an inexpensive tube amplifier, tube preamplifier, tube power amplifier and of course a tube CD player. When it comes to tube amplifiers, you would really think that digging deeper into your wallet actually makes sense. But there are also supposed to be inexpensive models that can make the hi-fi ear beat faster. Because even with high-priced tube amps, you are still faced with the problem of not being able to produce tube amps that 1. have a high damping factor or can operate a subwoofer / bass properly.

Enough whining, we want to describe the Conrad here. C. Johnson is definitely one of the greats from America. In the past (and currently) one big ship after another was produced. The build quality is typical for this price range and leaves no reason to complain. Not really common for tube preamps, the Premiere three has an MC preamp that can be described as good. But I haven’t tested it myself, just the information from the Internet. The AR Sp10 is supposed to have a slightly better MC preamp. In terms of sound, the Johnson is convincing across the board. With the right power amp, it plays phenomenally and is also quite good in the bass! Where other similar models are weak, the Johnson goes deeper. The high and mid-range is typically tube-like. Very pleasantly clear and silky.

I had fun at another friend’s house attaching the tube to a pair of active Genelec 1037A’s. What can I say? Absolutely studio-like! In that sense…