I forgot to thank Jazzdude, he was the first one to let me know about the HAL-O damping instruments and the first one to talk about it here (i think).
Thank you, Jazzdude. |
Hello, I´m new in this forum. I´m from Madrid (Spain).
I´ve just ordered a Cortese, line stage version, with several modifications and I´d like to know what you think about it.
- Balanced and unbalanced inputs and outputs, with provision for biamping with both, the balanced and unbalanced output.
- Power supply connector on power supply (to add later a phono stage.
- A headphone socket.
Mick was agree wiht all of it, I´m sure he can do it without compromise the Cortese´s sound.
I don´t know many things about valves and I´m not sure if I´m asking too much.
What about the cables he recommends, the TMC?
Thanks, guys. |
Thanks, Bwhite.
I agree with you. I was so fascinated about the Supratek comments and look, that I ordered it too fast. Of course I don´t regret, but I should consider the modifications I asked for.
About XLR connections I asked for it because my CD player and amplifier (Wadia and Jeff Rowland)are truly balanced, but both of them could be used in single ended design.
I can live without XLR.
I´m going to ask for the phono also at the same time. It looks hard to get a Supratek and I never rejected the possibility to have a TT.
I´ve sended a message to the Yahoo Supratek forum (twice, sorry) explaining a little more about my system and some other questions.
- What about power cords?. Don´t you think that a good pc could help to restore the unpolluted sound Mick probably has where he lives?.
Thanks again. |
Hello. Questions I did to Mick ...
- When I asked Mick to put a headphone socket on the Cortese his answer was:
> " The output impedance of the Cortese is about 200 ohms- there are some good headphones able to be driven by this- check your headphones. It is possible to put a headphone socket on the back or top, but not enough room to put a seperate driver in the chassis"..."It doesn't hurt at all, one socket for the HD600 is possible".
- Does it have remote control?
> "Yes -remote volume only. Up/down, fine up/down, mute , works out to 30 feet"
- Does the new line stage version have XLR inputs and outputs?.In such a case is it really balanced?
> "Outputs only- yes it is truly balanced using transformer not op-amps or solid state".
- Couldn´t it have XLR inputs?. That way I could use the full potential of my Wadia.
> "Yes I can do that"
- Could I have also provision for bi amping with the balanced output?
> "Yes. I will have to make up a custom chassis but that is not a problem".
Of course, I trust him, but I agree whith Bwhite that simpler could be better in such a subtle preamplifier. If I can live without those changes, I think that at the end, it would be better. That way, there is more respect to the Mick´s original creation and less "caprice" from my self.
That means, the best possible sound. |
Can someone tell me how would be a combination of Supratek Cortese and KR Enterprise Kronzilla single ended Mono Blocks?
Thanks. |
Ads, I´m going to try the combination Cortese-KR Kronzilla. This are dual mono-blocks 100+100 Watts RMS using two KR 1610 tubes per amp in parallel. I don´t have it with me yet but in the seller´s opinion "this Amps give the wonderful SET musicality with the power to run real speakers. Have supurb bass and smooth, delicate highs and midrange.
The 1610 tubes run very cool, have tremendous tube life and give wonderful musicality with much tighter bass and focus than 300B tubes".
I asked Mick and he told me that he has in his home a similar combination (Cortese-KR VT8000) and that it works very well. |
I´ve tried all the rectifiers we were talking about : Mullard GZ32, GZ37 and GZ34. I´ve tried also the Bendix 6106 Red Bank.
IMHO the best of all, the absolute king in rectifiers is the Philips Miniwatt GZ34, metal base from the 50´s. Combined with Sylvania 6F6G and Kend Rad 6SN7GT NAVY makes a beautiful big sound full of detail and subtlety. |
Thanks Ecclectique, great information, like allways. |
Mrmb. I have a system very similar to yours and I can confirm you that you´ll get a huge improvement with the Syrah in your rig. I have a Wadia 850 upgraded by Steve Huntley (Great Northern Sound Co.) to the Statement level, the best one, that means that´s a GOOD Wadia. Well, I had it driving directly a pair of Wolcott monoblocks connected to a pair of Sound Lab A1. For a couple of years I thought that it was the best possible sound on earth but... then I decided to try a preamp, and the Supratek Syrah was the choice. I can tell you that there is a big difference in the quality of sound, now the soundscape is bigger, it´s more detailed (it seems odd taking account that there are more cables etc.),the sound is more subtle and much more coherent. Now the music seeems to be a whole giving you a feeling of truth. Never, I mean never will be back to the other configuration. The Syrah is now the heart and soul of my system. Besides, you can modifie the sound to your taste rolling tubes because, as many people here said, the Syrah is very revealing of those changes.
I hope it helps you.
Ecclectique, thank you for your permanent advise.
I´ll contact you about your kitchen system. |
Information on the possible upgrade Syrah/Chenin:
Mick told me in a e-mail that it would be a big job to put the new design into a Syrah. It would entail a complete rebuild of the phono section and would be very expensive, probably to the point of not being worthwhile.
He´s trying, though, to think of a way to upgrade the Syrahs without too much expense- has a few ideas and hopes to have a solution soon. |
Hey Ecclectique, could you tell me if there is any difference in sound between the WE350b and the NU350b?.
Thanks!. |
Slowhand, have you tried the Philips Miniwatt GZ34?. If so, please let us know your opinion.
Regards |
Is this the DACT attenuator remote control you were looking for?. Go here:
http://www.bentaudio.com/index2.html
And then in the Bent Audio web hit down left where says :
DACT Attenuator Remote
Cheers |
Ecmlee, the Mullard GZ34 or the Philips Miniwatt GZ34 metal base are better rectifiers then the Bendix or the Mullard GZ32 in my opinion, so rectifiers in your upgraded Syrah shouldn´t be a problem.
BTW I didn´t know that´s possible to upgrade the Syrah to the Chenin status. What´s the cost for it? and, is the final result a "real" Chenin?. |
I changed the Alps for the DACT attenuator. After some weeks it seems to me that the sound is clearer but not by a BIG margin and if you need the remote control it doesn´t worthwhile in my opinion. But if you can do it without the remote, any improvement, even if subtle, is wellcome.
I guess that evrybody here have subtleties in consideration.
I get the best sound, so far, with:
NU350B as regulators, GE6SN7GTB as line tubes, GZ34 Philips Miniwatt metal base as rectifier and in my case DACT as attenuator.
As phono tubes I use Sylvania 6GK5 and Mullard or Amperex PQ 6688 (E180F). |
Please stop looking for...other then:
-WE350B
-Tung Sol VT231 6SN7 round plates, black glass
-Philips Miniwatt GZ34 metal base
Don´t waste your money like I did trying the whole staff.
Those are the best, period.(Sorry)
I appreciate some information about the new PX4 |
When I asked in the previous post what tubes can be used in the Cabernet "besides" PX4 or 300B I wanted to say "in place" the PX4 or 300B providing they don´t use more than 1,5 A of filament current. Thanks. |
I asked Mick about wich one of SAUVIGNON (linestage of Cortese) or CABERNET (linestage of Grange) would work better with single ended triodes like Cary 805C.
He said that although the CABERNET is the cream of their preamps both have the ability to bring out the best of the Cary, although the Sauvignon has lower gain and might have better volume control...
Does it have any importance with respect of amps? or is it more important if you have sensitive loudspeakers?. Or both?.
Compared with the Syrah gain he said that the the Sauvignon is about the same as the Syrah in "low" gain while the Cabernet is about in between of the "low" and "high" positons.
Someone could explain it?.
I´d like to pair one of those preamps with Cary 805C Single Ended Triodes (50 watts) and Von Schweikert db99 loudspeakers (99db sensitive).
I´d rather the CABERNET but I´m affraid to have very little volume control.
|
HI Jay461 if you want to have a sweeter sound with your SS try RCA VT231 grey glass.
If you want a substitute in almost the same ligue for Philips Miniwatt metal base look for GZ34 of these kind:
-bakelite black base
-with good flash down the top mica
-double D getters
-4 notch plates
-from the late 50,s and early 60´s
-branded GE or RCA. (with hole in center of base pin)
You can find them maybe as low as around $30-$40 if you look patienly.
I like 4 cut and double getter better than 8 cut single getter. 4 cut double
getter is older, single getter was a cost cutting measure, cost cutting is
usually bad for sound quality.
Around the middle 60's the tube companies tried to cut production costs and
many changes were bad for sound.
My favorite GZ34 bakelite base was from late 50's. Like 1959 was a great
sounding year!.
But again the best are Philips Miniwatt , Mullard or Valvo GZ34
metal base. They are the best althogh hard to say for how much compared with the GZ34 bakelite base. |
Today I´ve tried the iPod as a source connected to the Syrah and the amazing CAD 805C. The iPod is a surprising good litle machine, big sound, smooth, good bass...Really something special. |
SÃ, Feliz Navidad para todos desde España.
Or in other words: Merry Christmas to all of you from Spain.
Special thanks to you Tom for starting this great gathering.
Gracias! |
Mick can build now the Cabernet to be used with PX4 or 300B, with a switch on power supply to chooose which one you want to use.
It´s possible to use other tubes in place PX4 or 300B as long as they don't use more than 1.5A of filament current.
Anyone could let me know what other tubes could be used in the Cabernet besides the PX4 or 300B? |
Bwhite, the Cabernet only uses two regulators because it´s only a line pre. The Grange uses two pair of regulators one for the line and the other pair for phono wich is housed in a seperate unit and this way it does benefit from having it's own regulation. There are two preamps in effect in the Grange- the phono and linestage.
The Cabernet just has a linestage so it can only have two regulator tubes- one for each channel.
Mick told me that putting a Cabernet/Grange power supply on a Cortese wouldn't work because they have completely different requirements. |
I´d like to recommend two products that I´ve tried lately and that in my opinion help to improve the sound.
The first one is the Foundation Research power cords, LC1 and LC2, (thanks David). I use them in my cd player, Syrah, and Cary 805c. I can´t say more then the sound is cleaner. For me it´s enough and that´s what a p.c. should make.
Last year I sold a Shunyata Anaconda Vx power cord because in my opinion colored and tamed the sound.
The other product I´d like to recommend are the HAL-O damping instruments. They help in the same way, the sound seems more defined and cleaner. I use it in every tube I have and you can sublety modifie the sound puting them in one tube or another and even with the position in the tube, up or down. Play with it. |
Ecclectique, yes I contacted Edward Wolcow of Foundation Research and now I have the Cd player, Syrah, and the Cary 805C monoblocks connected to the wall with these power cords. I can tell you that the sound is not colored or tamed like with the more then twice expensive Shunyata Anaconda VX. They are exellent power cords that keep out RF from the system in both directions. The sound, as I told in a prior post is just cleaner and the cables keep intact the personality of every part of the rig. If anyone is interested can find information at http://www.stereotimes.com/acc032703.shtm
or just in Google looking for Foundation Research power cord.
Thanks for let me know about these cables and yes, they are in my experience the best ones I´ve tried ever in my system. |
I received my new Cabernet one month ago. Mine is also the PX4/300B version. So far I can tell that the sound seems to be a little cleaner with the PX4 (TJ) then with the Western Electric 300B but I´ll check it again in one more month or so.
Ecclectique, there is a difference with the Syrah. Of course it can´t be a huge difference but big enough to pay the $5000 tag in my opinion. I don´t know about the phono section, just about the line. The sound compared with the Syrah is more clear, clean or whatever you want to define it in that direction. More presence but nacing aggressive.
I have my Syrah with all those NOS tubes that at the end seems to me the best ones: WE 350B, Tung Sol 6SN7 round plates, Mullard or Philips metal base GZ34. Even with all these expensive tubes in the Syrah the Cabernet has more emotion, more music just with the stock ones. Sorry but I can´t express myself better.
After the first week I tried the Cab with all those nos tubes and I don´t know why but the sound, so far, is better with the stock ones. Again I´ll try the nos tubes in the Cab in one more month.
David, if you can afford it I would keep the Syrah. Use it for a second system, you´ll never get something like that for that price. Besides you can use part of the same tubes (350B, 6SN7, and GZ34) in both preamps.
But in my humble opinion the Cab is worthwhile if you want to get the most of your system. I never sell neather of them.
A final recommendation for the ones that are looking for an exellent cd player, take a look to the Cary CD 303/300, it makes a terrific combination with any of the Supratek preamps.
Salud, Juan. |
|
For all of you, all friends in this forum, who now are in hard moments because of the hurricane Katrina, I want to let you know that I share your pain. Juan (Madrid, Spain) |
I use both the Syrah and the Cabernet with two different systems. A big one with Sound Lab A-1, electrostatics, and Wolcott monoblocks (220 watts/ch) and other "less big" system with Cary 805AE, that uses 845 or 211 tubes with Von Schweikert db99 loudspeakers with ribbon supertweeter. Both systems sound very clean and detailed and both systems have similar "electrostatic" sound. In my opinion the Supratek preamps tend to make an uncolored sound, althoug of course it depends on the tubes on them and the rest of the system. The Cabernet is in some noticeable degree cleaner, more detailed and autoritative then the Syrah. I also tried my Wadia directly to my amps and the music seems clearer but at the end it´s metalic and I agree that it´s flat and without life.
About tubes I´m using in my Cab (and also part of them in the Syrah) Philips GZ34 metal base, WE350B as regulators, although lately I´ve tried also Sylvania 5932 with good results as a much lower price, Tung Sol 6SN7 round plates and TJPX4, in my Cab I can use also WE300B in place of PX4 but in my opinion the TJ sounds better.
If any of you want to take a look what are my loudspeakers here are they in their web
http://www.soundlab-speakers.com/a1.htm
http://www.vonschweikert.com/db99_speaker.html
Bwhite, try to investigate on the old Tannoys monitor gold (http://www.hilberink.nl/speaker.htm) they´re easy to drive one point source speakers. I´m driving them in my bedroom with Sun Audio 2A3 integrated amp at low level with lush and delicated sound. |
The GZ34 and the Bendix 6106 are indirectly heated tubes, heater and cathode are parallel connected. Both tubes have the same base diagrams and both are bi-phase halve-wave rectifiers or full wave rectifiers.
"Slow start" means the warm-up "rise time" (time taken to change from 10% to 90%) of their output voltage when fully loaded, which reduces the inrush current of other electronic components.
I gathered this information from some books, I´m not a technician.
The question is, is it the same thing "indirectly heated" and "slow start", or in other words, all the indirectly heated tubes have slow start?.
When I asked Mick if I could use the U54, a tube with the same base diagram as GZ34 and that is also an indirectly heated rectifier, his answer was: NO!!! It is not slow start.
In some substitution book I found that the U54 can be used instead of GZ34...Could someone help and explain this technical issue?.
Slowhand here you have a very complete data for the Bendix 6106: http://www.mif.pg.gda.pl/homepages/frank/sheets/131/6/6106.pdf
(cut and paste in your browser). |
Today I´ve listened the Cab with the Mundorfs for the first time and I´m quite impressed, not subtle differences but very noticeable ones, bigger soundstage, mostly in the vertical plane, clearer sound and deeper and more tied bass. I guess that after a few hundred hours it will be even better.
Mick told me that in the Syrah the Auricaps are better then the Mundorfs, it looks that the big Mundorfs are better then the Auricaps but on the contrary the little Auricaps are better then the Mundorfs.
A new discovery for me in the 6SN7 field, the Sylvania GT from 1952, great tube, delicate but with lot of information and good bass.
In other prior post I asked if all the indirectly heated tubes have slow start?. Could anyone help, please?. |
Whoopadeedoo, I appreciate your help and please continue posting your opinion in this thread, we need your constructive experience instead of some sterile fights. |
Whoopadeedoo, in one of your prior posts I read about the Visseaux 6L6G or Mullard EL34 used as regulators. Now I´m using WE350B in my Cab. How you compare the 350B with any of those other tubes?.
My other tubes are Valvo GZ34 metal base, Sylvania 6SN7GT (1952) or Tung Sol 6SN7GT round plates and TJPx4/n or WE300B. Thanks |
Whoopadeedoo, the Grange and Cabernet are prepared with a switch to change between PX4 or 300B, like my Cab, other can use PX4 or 45. |
Wc65mustang, I was thinking also on the Merlots to pair it with my Cabernet. Could you explain a little more about the mods that you asked for and why?. Thanks |
