I recently compared the Supratek Chennin, CAT Ultimate, Supratek Cabernet, and Aesthetix IO phono stage all together the same day. For the line stage I thought the Cat and Chennin were neck and neck for 1st place. The Cabernet just sounded awful to me. No dynamics and a very unnatural tonal character. To be fair I dont think the Cabernet was completely broken in. To my surprise the phono stage of the Chennin held its own against the IO. The IO was better but not by a lot. Keep in mind this comparrison was not done on my own system and all other components in the system were unfamiliar. E mail me if you are interested in specifics.
CAT vs. Aesthetix vs. Supratek - Preamp Choice
Hello All - I'm looking for some advice here. I want to upgrade my Modulus 3a with either a Supratek Chenin, and Aesthetix Janus, or a CAT Ultimate Mk 2 - and could use some advice. My system is linked below (I promise to respond to questions soon - and cut me a break Marco!) I am looking for something that images well, is dynamic (don't want to lose dynamism with Quads), and is just overall musical. Has to be a full function preamp (phono included). Remote is nice but not a requirement.
Can those with experience provide some thoughts on the difference between these preamp flavors? Good advice is highly appreciated!
Thanks, Peter
Can those with experience provide some thoughts on the difference between these preamp flavors? Good advice is highly appreciated!
Thanks, Peter