Conrad Johnson GAT ...

joeinid

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Mar 14, 2011
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If the Fedex man cooperates, I should finally have my GAT on Thursday. :D I can not wait and am dying to try it on my Dartzeel 108 and CJ Premier 350. I have a good feeling about this preamp.
 

MylesBAstor

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Apr 20, 2010
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If the Fedex man cooperates, I should finally have my GAT on Thursday. :D I can not wait and am dying to try it on my Dartzeel 108 and CJ Premier 350. I have a good feeling about this preamp.

If you really want to get the most out of the GAT, get the SRA base. Shocking increase in dynamics and decrease in the noise floor.
 

MylesBAstor

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LL21

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Let us know what you think! Be very interested to read. FWIW, EAT tube dampers help quite a bit. Despite the isolation for each tube, the EAT tube dampbers made a big improvement with no downside...for 19 dollars each, hard to pass up. I also found that touching the tube dampers during loud passages, there is still some vibration...so Myles point about SRA makes a lot of sense.

I am going to try HRS nimbus couplers and damper myself at some point...or second-hand HRS platform. They are available second-hand.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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Hi Myles,

Thank you for the recommendation. I REALLY need a better rack and I really like the SRA racks. Is there a specific model base you prefer?

This one?

http://www.silentrunningaudio.com/products/vr_series_isobase.htm

Joeinid,

I had great results using a Finite Elements Pagode master reference with my cj electronics - the ART with its 10 x microphonic 6922's loved the fork tuned shelving system!

http://www.finite-elemente.de/en/racks/pagode_master_reference

I have no experience with the SRA.
 

MylesBAstor

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joeinid

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Mar 14, 2011
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Thanks for all the recommendations everyone. I expect to see the GAT sometime on Thursday and can't wait to hook it up. It was a big stretch just to buy it in the first place but I could not pass it up. I'll follow up with some listening impressions.
 

MylesBAstor

Well-Known Member
Apr 20, 2010
11,236
81
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New York City
Thanks for all the recommendations everyone. I expect to see the GAT sometime on Thursday and can't wait to hook it up. It was a big stretch just to buy it in the first place but I could not pass it up. I'll follow up with some listening impressions.

Just give those Teflon caps time to break-in. cj recommends 300 hrs. So hook up that CD player and walk away :)
 

LL21

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I just left it on infinite repeat to burn thru as quickly as possible and enjoyed the changes over the course of the first few weeks. ACtually found it changed again (for the worse around 400 hours) and then pulled out of it around 500 and clear sailing past 600.
 

microstrip

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May 30, 2010
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I plan on enjoying every minute.

Sorry Joeinid, you are not supposed to enjoy it so soon. :(

Please burn-in just one channel as Myles says with a CD player for 300 +/- 1 hour and afterwards carry a few scientific tests on the effects of burn-in . Compare both channels in mono in the appropriate conditions using the same signal randomly in each channel.

Afterwards you should analyze the results and publish them in WBF. If you do not get a significant success identifying the burned-in channel in the first 150 hours you should request new capacitors from cj, replace them and carry all the process again until you are trained enough to detect the differences. Only then you are allowed to enjoy your new preamplifier! ;)

Disclaimer - this is not a serious post!
 

joeinid

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Mar 14, 2011
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Sorry Joeinid, you are not supposed to enjoy it so soon. :(
Disclaimer - this is not a serious post!

HeHeHe,

I was planning on doing that anyway. You just saved me some time. I'm getting excited and keep checking the tracking info. Argh! not in the system yet. I'm going crazy.

Joe
 

LL21

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I am most interested in hearing how you feel the GAT does when paired with 350SA vs Burmester 911 Mk3. As i use mine with Gryphon Colosseum (and i ain't changing!), i am curious to read about other people's experiences.
 

joeinid

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Mar 14, 2011
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I am most interested in hearing how you feel the GAT does when paired with 350SA vs Burmester 911 Mk3. As i use mine with Gryphon Colosseum (and i ain't changing!), i am curious to read about other people's experiences.

Hi Lloyd,

I think the GAT will do VERY well with the CJ Premier 350 and my Dartzeel 108. When I had my ET5 and tried it with the 911mk3, I was not crazy about the combination so I assume the GAT might not play well with it as well. Part of the reason could be because the ET5 may have needed some more break in and I also had to use an RCA to XLR adapter. There could have been an impedance mismatch as well, not sure. I sold the ET5 with the intention of getting the GAT because I liked the ET5 so much.
 

LL21

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Dec 26, 2010
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FWIW, Joe, i use to run a Transp Ref RCA cable btwn the GAT and Colosseum...with XLR on one end...i use TA cables throughout my system and have not changed in 10 years. I have changed that one cable now to a custom cable by Sablon Audio RCA-XLR...and the combination is perfect. There used to be a residual teeny hum...now it is dead silent until my ear gets within 3 inches of the side of the tweeter or about 6 inches straight on. and then if there is any noise in the room, i still cannot hear anything. cool.
 

joeinid

Well-Known Member
Mar 14, 2011
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Thanks Lloyd,

I can't wait to try it. I hope Thursday is the day.
 

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