Conrad-Johnson Design

Don’t even think twice just buy it.
I have an old MF2500A and haven’t for a moment considered replacing it. I have retired my SC-​26 preamp and DA2b in favor of a Benchmark DAC2 HGC but that’s only because C-​J doesn’t have a comparable piece.
There is no money-​saving voodoo going on here. C-​J uses expensive parts and assembles them properly.

I went back and forth over selecting McIntosh and CJ. McIntosh is like a Rolex, great name recognition and assumption of quality. Conrad Johnson in comparison is like buying A. Lange & Sohne. If you knew the difference then brand awareness matters little. Best part of CJ is not paying for overhyped under performing components, but getting real value in quality that in my opinion should cost more.
I have had the LP66S amp and ET5 preamp for a little over two years and have loved every listening moment. Nothing beats vacuum tubes, nothing. The difference in sound quality is like comparing BlueRay to analog broadcast. It’s dramatic.
The clarity of signal is so clean and crisp, especially listening to live recordings. In combination with my Ayre DAC and Sonus Faber’s Creamona’s I hear notes that would be lost in another system.
Conrad Johnson is absolutely Devine and I am very lucky to know this first hand.