High Note Audio, Inc. Audiophile Preamps and Power Amps

The Conrad Johnson GAT S2 Preamplifier is without peer. I am running out of energy trying to describe this magnificent Audio Acheivement.  It is a beautiful Preamp and it is the heaviest Preamp I have ever lifted.   Here is what I think of its sound (which is all that matters anyways):  Resolution:  By any measure all Preamps I have heard have some level of grain and background grain. The GAT S2 splits the grain up like an atom Smasher. Even my beloved ET7 has a grain compared to the GAT S2.  Removing grain is difficult but it is achieved with the Highest Quality component parts such as CJD Teflon Capacitors, Vischay Film Resistors, a brilliantly designed Volume control, and a very low source impedance power supply buffered with Teflon caps. The GAT S2 Power Supply is Teflon and that is expensive but the results are immediate.  Most people are fooled into believing a brand of tubes makes all of the difference and while there is some difference you must remember the Audio Signal has to travel thru all of the caps and resistors.  Tonal Balance and Depth:  Too many preamps are either too laid back or so up front you can shave with it. The GAT S2 gets the right tonal balance with the proper special balance and soundstage that CJ owns.  Instrumental body is so well defined I feel I can tell the brand name of the instrument. On Birdland I felt it was a Yamaha tuba in the room on the song Birdland from the “For Duke” CD.   The space between instruments is even more clearly defined. What I previously wrote off as a bad recording the Gat has brought to life nuances not previously revealed. Not to say that a truly bad recording doesn’t sound bad and that flaws in recordings aren’t revealed I am saying you can hear the recording engineers discerning persona.  Bandwidth is abundant. Deep bass with air and detail, mid bass with punch and snap without overshoot. The mid bass is so well defined that you can almost tell what type of skin is used on the kick drum and how tightly it is set.  The highs are sweet but all of a sudden you hear the cymbals instead of a cow peeing on a flat rock. Violins have air and panache but authenticity.  Putting it together:  I conclude NO Preamp puts it together better than the GAT S2. NOTHING!  We know that music is all of the above, so it takes the best devices to “put it together.” That sums up the GAT. A seamless presentation of the music. It doesn’t make you want anything else.  Is it six times better than a $4000 preamp. Yes it is. Is it the best available - hell yes!