Conrad Johnson PV-5 Preamplifier w/ Bill Thallman Music Technology Upgrades

Conrad Johnson PV-5 tube preamplifier in excellent cosmetic and working condition. The unit has both a line stage and a high quality phono stage. In addition, the unit has been serviced and has received a full upgrade package by top Conrad Johnson technician Bill Thalmann of Music Technology.

The Conrad Johnson PV-5 preamp was the darling of reviewers in the 1980's and was a highly successful component. The strong point of the unit is a fabulous, sweet midrange. It throws a wide, deep soundstage and presents an extremely musical, non-fatiguiging sound.

This unit also had an extensive service upgrade package two years ago by Bill Thalmann of Music Technologies, who was a former top engineer and employee of Conrad Johnson. This is a description of the work done from Music Technology:

Our package of upgrades for the Conrad-Johnson PV5 preamp addresses both aging issues and performance limitations inherent in the original unit. These limitations are due primarily to production cost considerations (something every manufacturer has to deal with) and the state of the art in the 1980’s of critical components like capacitors and rectifiers. We can bring this lovely sounding preamp into the 21st century and make it quite likely to still be in use decades from now.
The package consists of the following:

Replacing the metal can electrolytics with polypropylene (high voltage) or dry film electrolytics (heater supply).

Replace capacitors in the signal path with Auricap polypropylenes.

Install hyperfast, soft recovery diodes in the high voltage supply

Improve the heater elevation circuit for lower AC ESR (surprisingly important)

Replace the buss wires from the I/O connectors with pure silver.

Lower the noise floor from the power supply regulators

Install an IEC power cord connector to allow you to experiment with different power cords, which can and do make a difference.

Repair anything that is needed electronically to get the preamp to operate as new.

Sonically, this builds on the very desirable PV5 sound and basically increases its ability to resolve subtle inner detail and micro-dynamics. This affects soundstage dimensionality and focus as well as subtle overtones in acoustic instruments. Bass extension and definition is also improved.

The cost of the upgrade package is $699

PV-5 Features:

Inputs/Outputs - Phono, Tuner, Auxiliary, and Tape1 and Tape2 recorder inputs with monitor and recording facilities, two Main outputs.

Controls:

Selector, Tape 1/Tape 2, Source/Monitor, Mode (Stereo/Reverse/Mono/Left/Right), Balance, Power, Volume.

Auto-muting to suppress warm up transients.