Preamp Deal of the Century

Hey Kids,
I'll be looking for Mick's "wonder" at CES.
Competing with the World's competition,
Why should he be afraid?
I know, he just wants to save us money.
Lucky Us!

Clearly you boys don't know your Syrah from your Shiraz. Or your Burgundies from your Bordeaux.
You don't think it's odd that Mick's creations are named after substances known to distort and seriously impair and distort aural acuity? Is this some coincidence? Or perhaps a recommendation for auditioning?
No wonder they're sold "factory-direct".

Why are all these things named after wines? I look forward to Supratek's "Thunderbird" and "Mogen-David" versions. Or maybe a sober assessment of their real worth. Surely the "cannabis" editions cannot be far from development.

Well, thank heaven they're not directly heating their rectifiers.

Not bad Asa.

Did you order yours with the tesla-coil option for maximum Hollywood retro-look?

How's that?

Bwhite, having become independently wealthy from the sale of internet-hyped factory-direct products, only a degree of remorse guides my posts. You tell me if I have anything better to do.

Tubegroover, your advice is sage.
Mark, your last post epitomizes the elegance of psychosis.
Stiltskin, I have a few thousand acres of land in northeastern Wyoming in which you might be interested.
Or perhaps a bridge connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan?
With your abandonment of discernment no wonder you feel so at ease.

Tubegroover, your advice is sage.
Mark, your last post epitomizes the elegance of psychosis.
Stiltskin, I have a few thousand acres of land in northeastern Wyoming in which you might be interested.
Or perhaps a bridge connecting Brooklyn with Manhattan?
With your abandonment of discernment no wonder you feel so at ease.

Kut me to the Kwick Waltersalas!
I am bored and often boring except to those who respond to the trolls.
I have considerable experience with NOS tube-rolling and thus have amassed a sizeable collection of Telefunkens, Mullards, Amperex, Mazdas etc. Few improved the sound of the stock tubes supplied but they all made it different. Very different. If you all roll the tubes of the Supratek right out of the box then none of you is listening to the same preamp. Nor will you ever replicate its performance should you ever have to replace a tube, presuming NOS (not Chinese mimics)would still be available (the North American and EU verified stocks of NOS are bare, to be sure). But you can rest assured that you have the preamp deal of the century (20th, 21st?) until you try to send your beauty back to western Australia for servicing or updates. Abandon aural discernment. The Internet Rules!
Why even listen when your computer dictates your prediliction? And you're so sure you've found the next real thing.

My most sincere apologies are extended to any posters on this thread that I have offended. I certainly did not wish to disparage any satisfied owners of Supratek products but rather play "Devil's Advocate" for those not so lucky. The defensiveness I have inadvertantly elicited speaks volumes about the insecurity of those so supposedly satisfied with their purchase, wouldn't you say Asa? When the whole High - End becomes "internet-word-of mouth", "factory-direct", journalistcally unreviewed, "take-it-or-leave-it", unadvertised, non CES presented typography, why bother to listen? Unless of course you've already bought it.

Luckily Supratek has been "chosen" as one of Audiogon's Showcase Dealers (surprise suprise). To the victors go the spoils. Or perhaps the opposite in this case. Any idiot knows the internet is an inherently superior medium of the written word and therefore not succeptible to the rigors of peer review or accountability. And the savy know better and cash in. To what century does this thread apply anyway?

Well kidz, for the record I have never heard a Supratek product but I would really like to based on what I've read on this thread. Problem is there are no dealers or any other way to audition this product except to buy it factory-direct. Therein lies the rub. If Stereophile or TAS ran rave reviews of Supratek (BTW why don't they?) for months and then identified the manufacturer as one of their "Showcase Dealers" would any of you question their motives? (Like HP and Transparent cables for instance?). Endless testimonials endorsing a decent but insular product are the essence of captive marketing. Who knows how it stacks up? And who would send the thing back to Australia after a thousand posts ensure you have the deal of some century? I have nothing against Supratek or this thread but if you don't see the dynamics of QVC or HSN creeping into Audiogon then I will have no compunctions taking your money here as well.