Solid State Preamp Reviews

Comparing Conrad-Johnson's Premier Fourteen to the superb Krell KRC-HR that I reviewed in October, a preamplifier that costs nearly $3000 more, I was struck by how close the best solid-state and tube products now sound to one another. The Krell was certainly as silent and as dynamic as the C-J, but the Premier 14 was a soundstaging wonder—an area where I felt the Krell fell short in comparison. Surprisingly—to me, anyway—the C-J conceded nothing to the Krell in HF or low-end extension, areas where the best solid-state designs used to have the advantage.—Wes Phillips