Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Sound Factor

Summary:
This is a follow up to my review from August below. The unit is a 2500A, not a 2500. The amp has gotten even better as it has broken in. It takes a good hour to 2 hours to warm up from power-on and, for the first time yesterday, I left it on all day. After being on for about 8 hours it I started listening. It had sweetened up and was treated to an unbelievable listening experience. I hadn't turned on the DA-2/b in the morning (too cheap to wear out the tubes) but I can only imaging what I would have been treated to if I had. It is, unfortunately, in a small room and in Los Angeles, even with only modest heat output, I really can't leave it on all the time. It produces less heat than my old Harman PA-2400 (which now powers my Hsu sub), but leaving it on 24/7 isn't an option. I now have one of those cheap one-brand systems (okay, not cheap) but can't say enough about C-J. I've had no reliability issues and, together with the speakers I spent 1 1/2 years having built with Dynaudio drivers, it's actually painful to switch off the system (I'll fix that bad ground later). This amplifier can actually change your taste in music. I can't stand jazz on any other system I've ever listened to but love it at home. Ian Anderson's new CD "Rupi's Dance" is amazing with his flute floating in front of me. The rating of 240WPC is given at 1% distortion but I suspect this is virtually all of the even order "musical" variety. I assure you there are no audible nasties present. With the right components upstream and with speakers capable of the resolution and imaging of my Dyn's, I have no regrets about spending a good "used car's worth" of money on this amp and would do it again in a heart beat.

Strengths:
Musical

Weaknesses:
None

Similar Products Used:
H-K PA2400

Price Paid:  $2400.00 from SPEARIT SOUND

Summary:
let me just say that this is the finest amp i have heard to date, this amp let you hear what music really sounds like i just cant believe what i was missing you not only hear the music but now you are part of it the soundstage is wide and deep i compared this amp to the audio research 100.2 side by side and i preffered the cj it was the more musical amp,the arc 100.2 was also very good but the cj just gave me that little extra in the soundstage.

Strengths:
warmth,rich mids,harmonic ripeness,rhythm and pace,huge sound stage,deep deep bass, need i say more.

Weaknesses:
absolutely none

Similar Products Used:
musical fidelity,audio research,acurus,sim audio

Price Paid:  $3400.00 from stereo trading outle

Summary:
It just sounds right ,sounds like real live music,not some hyper detailed analytical products who i sometimes think that their designers dont listen to live music enough.CJ got it right assoc eqpt ARC CD3 CJ Premier 17LS BW 803N spkrs

Strengths:
Very Musical sweet mids and highs and ample bass

Weaknesses:
None to speak of

Similar Products Used:
Bryston 4bsst,Levinson 334,Classe 201,

Price Paid:  $3000.00 from Sound Factor

Summary:
Wow. Sounds like... well... music.

Strengths:
Sound is incredible. Built like battleship.

Weaknesses:
Can't listen while in hospital for hernia... won't be moving that table any time soon.

Price Paid:  $2295.00 from Audiogon, demo

Summary:
Sorry to hear the last reviewer had a problem. I've had a c-j preamp for 12 years, never a problem and their customer service is excellent. This amp is a perfect match for my B&W N803's. Bass is powerful, controlled, bottomless and tuneful. Quite a feat. Mids are liquid gold yet each voice/instrument has a palpable 3-D depth and punch. Maybe it's because the champagne gold c-j faceplate matches the gold kevlar B&W midrange drivers? :) Treble is divine, blazingly fast yet absolutely grain-free. This must be almost like how a good tube amp would sound, if a tube amp could also do bass. Soundstage is immensely deep and realistically broad. Images are perfectly sized and rock solid in placement. The real thrill is massed strings or choruses, or both. Before this amp they were a muddle, now they're individuals playing or singing together. Just wonderfully lifelike. TT: HK/Rabco ST8 Cart: ADC XLMII CDP: Arcam FMJ CD23 Pre: c-j PV11 Amp: c-j MF2500A Speakers: B&W N803 I/C's: Nordost Blue Heaven, 1m RCA's Cables: Nordost Blue Heaven, 2m biwire, banana plugs AC power: Exact Power EP15A Rack: Salamander Synergy Triple 20 Music: 90% classical, 5% jazz, 5% ?

Strengths:
"It just sounds right", really

Weaknesses:
Took me 2 hours to redo my equipment rack and muscle this thing into it!

Similar Products Used:
various receivers, Phase Linear 400, SAE A205