Amp/Preamp Asylum: REVIEW: Conrad-Johnson (CJ,C-J) MV60 Amplifier (Tube) by mls-stl

Model:	MV60
Category:	Amplifier (Tube)
Suggested Retail Price:	$2795
Description:	55-watt ultalinear/25-watt triode using EL34
Manufacturer URL:	Conrad-Johnson (CJ,C-J)
Manufacturer URL:	Conrad-Johnson (CJ,C-J)

Review by mls-stl ( A ) on June 02, 2006 at 14:41:56
IP Address: 204.9.122.68

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I've been living with my new CJ MV60 for about a month now and feel comfortable enough with it's performance and capabilities to post a short
review.
By way of experience, I've been an active audio electronics hobbyist for over 35 years, since my mid-teens. There are a lot of audio miles under
my belt and I've also regularly partaken of live music during this time. However, while I've owned a lot of good equipment and been exposed to a
lot of the nice stuff, I've never been bit too hard by the bug to own the latest and greatest estoterics just to have bragging rights. In fact, one of my loves has been rebuilding old tube equipment, right down at the circuit level with my scope, meters and soldering iron humming away.
All of that said, I do appreciate two basic facts. One, electronics can and do sound different from each other and there are solid technical reasons for this to be. Second, as much as I enjoy the electronics side of my hobby, modern commercial manufacturers do have advantages in design, parts availability, manufacturing and testing - IF they choose to really use those advantages for something more than a glossy advertising image. That means that a great commercially designed and built amp is well worth pursuing.
It was on that basis that I recently took advantage of a good Audiogon price to acquire a couple-month old Conrad Johnson MV-60. I had been using a pair of Dynaco Mark III's that I'd rebuilt and modded a couple of years before. As much as I loved my Mk III's, I couldn't resist the chance to move forward about 50 years to take advantage of design advances in that time.
The amp arrived in perfect cosmetic condition in the original boxes. During the first couple of days I did have some noise issues in one channel, but that turned out to be a tube seating issue. Removing the offending tube, using a bit of contact cleaner, and re-seating it quickly solved the problem and the amp's background noise was dead quiet. Tube bias is very easily set using the four built-in red LED's. You turn the amp on, set the bias, then wait about 30 minutes and check again. Once set it seems very stable. I've not had to mess with the bias settings for over a month now.
My speakers are a pair of relatively new Spendor S5e's that I find very neutral and revealing. This version of the MV-60 uses the EL34 output tubes which are famous for their absolutely engrossing midrange qualities. (The MV-60SE version uses 6550 outputs.)
What can I say? The midrange through these speakers is absolutely stunning. Naturally recorded voices and acoustic instruments are just "there." The amp also responds well as the number and complexity of the instruments multiply. I listen at moderate levels; using a sound level meter with "C" weighting, an average volume level on most music is in the 80 to 85 dB range. Even on big pieces there is no sense of strain or loss of definition. Depth and imaging from the amp are clear and well defined.
The amp also does fine at higher volumes. Rock pieces in the mid-90 dB range with peaks at 100 dB are rendered fine. However, this is not a system (either amp or speakers) for head-bangers. You'll want a different combo if volume is your forte. However, for my taste in music and volume, this is more than ample.
Highs also deserve a special note. The Spendors are not bright speakers, but the highs are there. Their neutrality is well regarded and the MV-60 is a perfect match. Neither adds any edge or "tizz" to the music. What you have is a combo that sound like real music. I can listen for long periods with no fatigue. I know some prefer a brighter sound, however I don't think I'd recommend that someone buy this amp in an effort to "tame" a set of speakers. I think the amp's strength is in it's beautiful neutrality and it works best with similarly minded speakers, preamp and source electronics. Most importantly, this is for a listener who is after that neutrality across the board.
Bass is the one area where there might be a bit more of a preference choice at work. I find the EL34's do a wonderful job on fully acoustic bass instruments, but they are not quite as tight in controlling the speakers on amplified or electronic bass material. The 6550 version of the MV60 might be a better choice, though I think at the loss of some of the specialness the EL34 possesses in the midrange and up.
In comparing these to my old Dynaco Mark III's (which I ran with KT88 outputs) I have to say the Dynaco's held up a bit better than I expected. However, ultimately there was no contest. Conrad Johnson is rightly proud of their output transformers; I think these OTs (originally from their Premier line of amps) are a perfect illustration of the true advances that come from building on the knowledge that 50 years additional audio science can give. CJ is also famous for their simple, but near perfect circuitry design and execution. I appreciate the philosophy that it is wise to not make things more complicated than they need be.
Cosmetically, this is a beautiful looking amp in the classic, conservative Conrad Johnson style. The only appearance drawback is the amp does look slightly askew is the tube cover is left off, due to the front faceplate design.
In short, for the way I listen, the types of music I listen to, and the things that are most important to me in the reproduction process, this is a
wonderful amp and an outstanding buy, especially when you can find one used. Highly recommended.

Product Weakness: Not for bass freaks or power mongers.
Product Strengths: Amazing neutrality in midrange, no harshness in highs, more power than specs suggest, great value.

Associated Equipment for this Review:
Amplifier:	MV-60 (EL-34)
Preamplifier (or None if Integrated):	Conrad Johnson 10 AL
Sources (CDP/Turntable):	NAD C542
Speakers:	Spendor S5e (87dB)
Cables/Interconnects:	basic 12 gauge, fine stranded copper
Music Used (Genre/Selections):	Various
Room Size (LxWxH):	15 x 13 x 10
Room Comments/Treatments:	area rug on hardwood, no curtains but mix of furniture
Time Period/Length of Audition:	owned, 1 month (at time of review)
Type of Audition/Review:	Product Owner

Product Weakness:	Not for bass freaks or power mongers.
Product Strengths:	Amazing neutrality in midrange, no harshness in highs, more power than specs suggest, great value.