The Premier Twelve Amplifier by Conrad Johnson
July 30, 2008 – 8:52 pmConrad Johnson are a company based in Fairfax, Viginia and they have been producing high end audio equipment since 1977 when the company was started by William Conrad and Lewis Johnson. The first amp that the company ever released was the PV-1, a vacuum tube preamplifier.
Conrad Johnson is synonymous with quality with price tags that certainly reflect that, although many audio enthusiasts feel the money is very well spent indeed. One of their flagship amplifiers is the Twelve Tube monoblock power amplifier, so listening in stereo will set you back close to 7 grand.
The Conrad Johnson Twelve tube has a refined sleek look with a brushed brass finish. It has some relatively straight forward circuitry and a large output transformer. This allows a wide bandwidth and high phase linearity. It’s nothing too spectacular, but it doesn’t need to be. This amplifier has earnt its followers through its performance rather than style.
The CJ Twelve Tube’s overall sound is extremely rich and open with a fantastic transparency, superb mids and a deep down racey bass. It manges the transitions between frequencies with ease, even at extremes, as well as through the upper and mid ranges. Something that even amplifiers of similar price tags often struggle with.
Now a lot of tube amplifiers have been seen to have problems with transients more normally with rock and pop tunes. The Twelve Tube produces consistent sounds right the way through, and in my years of audio intrest it is one of the finest I have heard.
Conrad Johnson is well known for the reliability of their amplifiers, and there is no exception when it comes to the Twelve Tube. Tube amplifiers are often seen to give problems in this area, but with the Twelve Tube you should have no worries.
The internet is a great place to start your amplifier search, whether you’re looking for a Twelve Tube, another Conrad Johnson or any other amplifier. There are some great deals around!
Tags: Music
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