Hi,
With some reluctance I make this post to ask a question about the sound of a Supratek Cortese preamp. I know by asking this question I will be breaking the current flow of the conversation almost like a complete stranger coming late to a party in which he doesn't know anyone except the plant in the corner.
I have read about half of the postings here which span about 300 pages when printed out. I had planned to read it all before asking my question, but I guess I couldn't wait.
My questions is this: I am having a little trouble getting a handle on the sound of the Cortese, the preamp I am most interested in buying. Can anyone help? What does it sound like?
I am looking for a romantic sounding preamp, but not one that is overly lush or one that obscures too much detail and transparency.
The Conrad-Johnson Premier 17LS, EAR 864, and Sunfire Classic Vacuum Tube Preamp fall to this more romantic camp. Not too many preamps these days do.
Does the Cortese have any warmth, or would you say it's a very neutral, clear, present, dynamic, and natural sounding preamp? Would you describe it as having yin or yang energy, or do these terms even apply?
The C-J unit mentioned above has some warmth, sweetness, nice harmonic layering, ease, decent texturing, and a suaveness to it that makes that preamp easy to listen to. I would not call it overly dynamic and it does not have gobs of immediacy.
Would you say the Cortese is closer in sound to, let's say, the First Sound Presence Deluxe or to either the EAR 864 or Conrad-Johnson?
Todd Warnke at SoundStage! described the First Sound this way:
"Utmost clarity, jaw-cracking dynamics, intense and deep bass, and newfound layers of nuance," but a "complete lack of mechanical sound" too; "of all the sonic skills, detail retrieval was the most astounding"; "the preamp for those who want a passive but need the facilities of an active."
Does any of this apply to the Cortese? Is the Cortese ruthlessly revealing?
I know I am asking far too many questions, and I do apologize for that.
Waiting 6 months or more will not be a problem for me, even if I have to wait a year. What troubles me, though, is the possibility that after I receive the Cortese I either won't like the way it sounds or it will be too noisy for my tastes.
Thanks in advance for your help.
Artar1
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Jazzdude,
Thank you, thank you, and thank you. I get it.
I like a more golden, relaxed sound, which others might find cloying, uninvolving, veiled, or syrupy.
I have very keen hearing and have a very difficult time tolerating high-pitched, overly defined, etched, clinical, bright, or overly dynamic sound of any kind. If you can believe it, Rock music has never appealed to me, especially Acid Rock, Heavy Metal, or dynamic electric guitar solos because of what I hear as excessive upper midrange energy.
Thanks again for creating an effective frame of reference for me to understand the sound of the Cortese.
Cheers
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Jazzdude,
I hope that I did not give the impression that the Cortese is bright in anyway because I don't believe that to be the case from what you and others have said about the unit in this forum and elsewhere. So I apologize if there's any misunderstanding.
If my understanding about the Cortese is correct, it has the balance, neutrality, clarity, detail, impact, immediacy, and dynamics of a First Sound Presence preamp. The Cortese, however, offers a touch more lushness and sweetness than the First, which gives the Cortese a life-like sound that is not too ruthless and unforgiving. It puts instruments and voices in the room in an uncanny way, something few components are capable of.
If my view of the unit, of course without hearing it, is somehow way off base, please correct me. After all, those who have purchased the Cortese began where I am now -- poised to take the leap of faith that will lead to sonic bliss.
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Stevem1960,
Thanks for your insights about the Cortese. You have given me a better understanding about how the unit sounds.
Cheers |
Jazzdude and Tubegroover,
It's been several days since anyone has posted to this thread; the silence is a bit eerie for some unexplained reason. Perhaps the comradery and enthusiasm I have read thus far has given me an expectation that it will continue indefinitely.
I have now finished reading some 254 posts belonging to this thread. I must say I am learning a great deal, not only about Supratek preamps, but about audio in general. Moreover, I am learning about the manner in which very experienced listeners and audiophiles approach the subject of reproduced sound in the home. It's almost as if this thread is like a graduate-level course in audioharmonics -- the pursuit of absolute sonic beauty without resorting to paying tens of thousands to get it.
I am still attempting to get a "handle" on the sound of the Supratek preamp line. In addition to my previous remarks, and having the benefit of reading the comments in this thread and elsewhere, I would also like to add a few more descriptive terms, if I might, albeit from a purely theoretical level, for I have not heard the Supratek nor will I have an opportunity before I buy the Cortese.
I feel what may further differentiate the Supratek line of preamps from the First Sound Presence Deluxe, a fine preamp in its own right and worthy of the Reviewer's Choice Award bestowed upon it by Todd Warnke of SoundStage!, is soul and harmonic layering. The First Sound strikes me as being a little more stark in its portrayal of music with slightly less harmonic stratification and nuance than the Supratek. It seems as if the aim of the First Sound is to provide life-like purity, power, dynamism, and clarity while retaining much of its passive gain-stage heritage. The Supratek does not strive for passivity, the straight-wire-with-gain philosophy. Rather it conveys clarity and detail but never at the expense of subtle richness, musical rightness, and harmonic soul. Thus, the Supratek might be heard as being the more musical of the two without the burden of euphonic sweetening that is often attributed to Conrad-Johnson gear. The Supratek speaks of a sparkling purity with a trace of inherent beauty without the slight "clinicalness" produced by the First Sound. The Supratek communicates with a slightly more enveloping and suave nature while embodying the soul of its designer. In contrast the First Sound impresses the listener with solidity and an unvarnished view of reality, albeit slightly thermionic. The Supratek is no less accomplished in presenting musical truth, but does so with greater sophistication and less austerity.
I don't want to make too much of these perceived differences. Like I said I have not heard the Supratek, which may invalidate my point of view. Because I am left with no review sample to audition, I draw my conclusions based upon vicarious experiences. I hope that my careful reading and intuition have served me well in this regard.
In my next posting I will be asking about where one can buy replacement tubes for the Cortese and about what NOS tubes are preferred, and why.
Cheers
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Jyprez,
It was not a review. |
Ecclectique,
He was referring to me and a recent post of mine. |
Jyprez,
I guess my rambling can be compared to the one-hand-clapping koan, which I am still trying to fathom. Koans and mathematical puzzles have never been my strong suit, but neither has playing a musical instrument or a host of other endeavors, like choosing really musically satisfying components that play together in a very synergistic fashion.
I am still fumbling around trying to figure out whether the Supratek is right for me. There's no doubt that it's made a lot of people happy on this b-board. But there's the cost to consider, $5,000 for the Cortese, the hot ticket that has captured my fancy. And then there is the support and warranty issues. If Mick decides he has had enough with smelling solder all day and has grown weary of handling silver wires hour after hour, then what will someone like me do, a bloke who plans to keep his unit running until hell freezes over, when a wire falls out of position or a resister sheds its mortal coil? It's all ambiguous, if you know what I mean?
Then there is the issue of tube rolling. Like a koan in itself, the term still evades my full comprehension. (Thank god we don't have to roll capacitors!)
So you see it's a metal exercise for me as I try to figure out if the Cortese will find a new home in my small house. Until then, I feel a need to finish reading the rest of the postings here to better understand the Supratek, and maybe myself.
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