PV1 Vacuum Tube Pre-Amplifier

Introduced: PV1 in 1977

Introduced in 1977 by Bill Conrad and Lew Johnson, the conrad-johnson preamplifier, later designated the PV1, was an important factor in the revival of the preeminence of vacuum-tube audio components in high-end audio.

Already with their first product, conrad-johnson was emphasizing the critical importance of the quality of component parts. The original PV1 literature noted the use of “metal film resistors and polyester and silvered mica capacitors”. Critics of the day regarded the PV1 to be one of the best sounding preamps at the time, particularly noting its natural reproduction of musical harmonics. Built on a rugged chassis with a robust power supply, a great many PV1’s are still in use today!

Features

Inputs/Outputs

• 2 Phonos
• Tuner
• Auxiliary
• Monitor and recording facilities for two tape decks with dubbing from Tape 1 to Tape 2.
• Two power amplifier (Main) outputs

Controls

• Selector
• Source/Monitor
• Mode (Left, Right, Stereo, Stereo Reverse, Mono)
• Balance
• Volume
• Power

V1, V2, V3, & V6: 12AX7
V4 & V5: 5751
Replacement Tube Set RT1.

Specifications

• Gain: Phono Stage 35 dB (phono overload 500 mV at 1kHz)
• Line Stage 28 dB
• Distortion: less than .05% THD or IMD
• Response: bandpass 2Hz to more than 100kHz
• RIAA Equalization: +/- .25 dB (20 to 20 kHz)
• S/N Ratio: Phono Stage 70 dB below 10 mv input
• Line Stage 84 dB below 2.5 volt output
• Phase: Phono Stage is phase correct, Line Stage is phase correct
• Mechanical: 14 x 4 3/4″ x 11 1/4″