Me? I'm still waiting for my Chenin. Up to 7 months as of 10/29. Ordered on 3/29... |
After following this thread for quite some time, I have jumped on the bandwagon. After emailing back and forth with Mick, last night I ordered the Chenin with a bit of custom work to change the output tube in order to better mate with the input impedence on my amps. Mick is an amazing and very acommodating gentleman. I was able to get in the line for a new Chenin at the pre April 1st price increase, and only an additional 100.00 charge for the custom work. I am going to TRY to wait patiently for it's arrival and not pester Mick about how long it will take to get here. Judging from what everyone is saying, the phono will blow away my ARC SP 9 MKII phono stage. I am so impressed by how the units look as well. They are works of art. |
Erik,
As I said, I just ordered mine last night, a Chenin that will be customized to the input impedence of my amps. Mick took a 500.00 deposit with the balance due on completion. Not sure how long the wait will be, I'm guessing several months anyway. Judging by what I am hearing about the Sryah/Chenin, the Cortese would have to be way over the top better to justify the much larger price. Never heard either so I am buying based on what I've read, but a 2500.00 pre that offers this kind of performance just might border on being a world beater. Plus - the looksand build are are great bonus too. |
While I await my Syrah/Chenin, what tube combos should I be thinking about rolling into the unit? |
Sorlowski,
I spoke to Mick last week. He has had some problems gettings supplies from his cabinet maker. I too ordered mine in March. Mick tells me about a month or so longer.
FWIW... |
I ordered my Chenin at the end of March. When should I contact Mick to inquire as to my place in the queue? |
Jazzdude, Fiddler, Bwhite:
Nicely put. As I await my Chenin, I keep telling myself that the wait will be worth it. As an unabashed disciple of instant gratification, I check my email every day saying "this will be the day Mick says it's ready to go".
The more I follow this thread the more I am sure that Mick is doing the right thing, and not rushing things just to get them out the door. Art takes time. Those who understand the value of the art and the artisan understand this.
Mlkiz,
Everyone has had to wait; and everyone agrees the wait was worth it. Whenever the impatience creeps in in, just remind yourself how great your music will sound. And, hey, if its not what you expected, you won't have any trouble selling it. Sounds like a win/win situation to me. |
Longho68,
2 month wait?! I've been waiting almost 5 months so far. Hope your sell-off of other equip. has not left you "musicless" while you wait.
Mick is doing his best to get these things out to people, but I think we should be realistic and patient with him. It seems our anticipation and wait will be richly rewarded... |
I think you missed my point: my guess is that you will have a longer wait than 2 months. Mick builds the Chenins in the order that they come in. If you just ordered yours, it isn't going to get built before those of us who ordered earlier. I ordered in March and am still waiting... |
I have a question for those of you still awaiting the arrival of your preamps from Mick. I sent him a note at the end of May checking on the status of my order. At that time he said he was experiencing delays in getting the cases from the woodworker and it would be 2-4 weeks longer. Last night (Aug.22) I sent him another note of inquiry. He is still having trouble getting the cases and expects to ship a bunch of units in the next 3-4 weeks. Are you all hearing this as well? |
Nickatkins,
I agree. We shouldn't bug him. He is trying to get them out as fast as he can. He told me last night he hopes to be able to ship a bunch of them within the next 3-4 weeks. So, lots of us my be getting them soon. |
Just got an email from Mick. My Chenin is all done, except for a couple of tweaks. Should be on it's way to me in a day or so. Our long wait is almost over.... |
I've had my Supratek for all of about 6 hours now, and I can say that pictures DO NOT do this thing justice! Audio jewlery is an understatement. Beautiful fit and finish. I am not going to even consider tube rolling for a couple of hundred hours until I get a handle on this thing. It is so far superior AND different than the ARC SP 9 mkII it replaced. Initial impressions are of far more weight to the music, wider swings in dynamics, massive soundstage and that seductive sound that no hybrid or solid state preamp can accomplish. This thing is truely a giant killer. Thanks guys for turning me on to this. A big thank you to Mick Maloney for giving the world this beautiful looking and sounding product. |
This is posted as a heads up to those of you still waiting for your preamps from Mick, if they are being shipped into the USA.
Make sure you provide Mick your Social Security Number or your EIN if you are a business, and insist that Mick include this info on the customs paperwork. Ask him to confirm with you that he did so. I sent him my information when I paid for mine but did not ask him for confirmation. As a result, my Chenin is stuck in Anchorage, Alaska in a customs delay for lack of either of those two numbers.
It seems that you also have to ask Mick for the FedEx tracking number as he doesn't send it if you don't ask. After failing to recieve mine in the 3-4 window last week. I emailed him tonight, got the tracking number saw that it was still in customs in Anchorage, called FedEx in Memphis, gave them my SS# and phone number. The agent I spoke with tonight was very helpful and said that now that the info was in the shipping data, it was her opinion that it could clear customs as early as tomorrow.
I thought by learning from another owner who went through the same thing, I could avoid it by supplying Mick the info up front with my payment and a follow up email.
Now- how long from Anchorage to the East Coast? Not to mention the Thanksgiving Day factor. Oh well, waited 8 months, another week won't kill me... |
Jumpin' Jehosaphat! My wife just called me at work to tell me the Chenin has arrived at our doorstep! I'm going home at lunch to unpack my new toy..... |
I haven't posted to this thread since recieving my Chenin, because, quite frankly.... I'm speechless!!
Everything folks have been saying is true in the extreme.
I'm not even going to THINK about tube rolling for at least 200 hours on it however. |
If you don't have a tape loop, Mick usually installs a HT bypass. The HT bypass switch should be in the off position. It is the switch in the back between the two chrome "towers", off is with the switch toward the front of the unit. |
Right back at ya Tom. Thanks for starting this thread, and thanks for bringing this incredible product to everyone's attention. I have had my Chenin for about a month now, and every day I am amazed and transported by the music. I no longer listen to the gear. Bonus: it has to be one of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen as well. |
The wait is the worst of it. That email from Mick saying that it is ready to go out the door is like Christmas morning. I have been living with my Chenin since Thanksgiving, and it has truely been a revelation. It has caused me to rethink a couple of issues in my system: I now have a pair of tube amps in for audition, and now that they are getting dialed in to the Chenin, I am amazed at the detail the phono stage sends down the wire to the amps.
As a word of caution: Mick ships to the US via FedEx. Coming from Australia, his products hit our shores in Anchorage, Alaska to clear customs. Be prepared for a snag/delay of several days for them to clear. One way to avoid the delay is to have an importer account with FedEx, or make sure that Mick includeds your SS# and phone # in the shipping manifest before your preamps ever leave Margaret River. Mine languished in customs for 4 days (on a 3 day shipping route) until I called FedEx in Memphis, gave them my SS# and asked that they enter it into the system and ensure that it was available to customs officials in Anchorage. Keep in mind that a customs/duty invoice from FedEx will arrive at your doorstep a couple of weeks after the preamp arrives. Mine was for 152.00, on top of the 130.00 for shipping.
Also keep in mind that pictures in no way do these preamps justice. The fit and finish, workmanship, and drop dead good looks are SOTA. Second only to their sound quality. |
Congratulations Sandro! Just fasten your seatbelt, keep your hands and feet inside the car at all times and enjoy the ride! You are in for a real treat! |
Ray,
Welcome to the funhouse! Please keep your head and arms inside the car at all times. Enjoy the ride dude! You are in for some kind of fun. Try to leave your listening room long enough to take on nutrition (if you can }. Save the tube rolling till you get a couple of hundred hours on it. This thing just keeps getting better as it morphs... |
Ray,
Congratulations on the pending shipment! You are in for a fun ride! Try to to touch base with Mick Sunday night to ENSURE that your SS number is on those shipping documents. Otherwise, your Chard. is gonna sit in Anchorage customs. |
E,
Call FedEx in Memphis. it's stuck in Customs. Chances are they'll take your SS# over the phone and it will release by tomorrow AM. Then FedEx will follow up with a bill for the duty on it. |
Good deal Mc5baby! It sounds great out of the box, but get a couple of hundred hours on it before rolling tubes. I've had mine since late november, and it is still getting better. The phono stage in the Chenin is world class IMHO. |
I had to throw this post in: The "Building TTs Cheap at Home Despot" thread has 1757 posts, this one has 1757 posts, now THIS ONE has 1758.... |
Raytheprinter,
has your unit arrived yet?
Mc5baby,
How's that volume control? Have you moved it? is it any looser for you? |
Mc5baby,
That is good news! Glad to hear that you are good to go. Make sure you get out and expose your skin to sunlight every so often. I've had my Chenin for 5 months and the honeymoon is still going strong. I've just now started rolling tubes, starting with some NOS grey glass 6SN7's... |
Kgturner is correct. The switch layout on my Chenin is as described. HT bypass is between the towers, mute on/off front right side, switches closest to the 6SN7 tubes are high/low gain - left/right. |
Slowhand,
You got it: 6922's in the front. Then sit back and enjoy!! |
Tom,
Does the Cortese have a phono stage (I can't seem to keep all the models straight)? The Chenin has a phono stage using the 6922's, which are in the front most position. Confusing as both tube sets have a 9 pin configuration.... |
Do you have the gain switches on the top of the unit set to the high gain setting? What about the master gain on the rear panel, where is that set? Is the cart you are using of relatively high output (say- above .9mV or more)?
Do you have this hiss or tube rush on any other inputs? |
I think Braro has nailed it. I assume that you are saying there is nothing connected to the phono input at this point? if so, the noise you are hearing is probably a ground issue due to the high gain at the phono input.
To test this, connect a set of IC's to the phono input and switch to the phono setting, you should hear less hiss, but some may still be present without a load on that input. |
Mick,
Thanks for weighing in and putting rumor to rest. Just keep doing what you do. I am more than confident that you'll never sacrifice quality over quantity. The wait for one of your world class preamps may seem painful, it soon recedes into the distance when the tubes light for the first time and music pours out from the blackness. From a happy Chenin owner. |
I will give you my own example of how high I regard the Chenin phono stage: I just place an order for the Walker Proscenium Gold Turntable. Yes, the Chenin phono stage is that good. The Chenin is a world class preamp, capable of supporting the best sources and amplifiers in the world, IMHO. |
With my Chenin, the tube rolling has been pretty limited. I tried swapping out the stock 6922's with Amperex NOS only to be disappointed with the results. I was very pleased however, with replacing the stock 6SN7's with NOS RCA Grey Glass 6SN7. Overall, I have to agree with Slowhand. I think Mick knows what he is doing in his choice of tubes when he ships a preamp. Who am I to argue? |
Lisbon,
Does this problem occur when "unmuting" the preamp, or does it occur when powering it up?
Remember, when turning on your system: Preamp on first - amps on second. When shutting down: Amps off first - preamp off second.
If it occurs when "unmuting", try it with the volume turned down. |
After having recieved my Supratek 2 years ago; today I recieved a certified letter from the New Jersey Department of Taxation demanding that I pay the state 150.00 "use tax" plus 19.00 in penalties and interest for failure to pay sales tax on a product purchased abroad for use in NJ, after having been handed the customs declarations after the feds took their cut.
Consider this your heads up if you live in NJ and have purchased a Supratek or any other product for that matter, Gov. Corzine is watching and wants to balance the state budget on your back.
Can other states be far behind? |
John-
The imaging issues you are experiencing have not been a problem in my room. I have also not spent any serious effort tube rolling, save for the swapping of the 6SN7s for a pair of RCA grey glass VT231s which I really liked. Like you, I have been interested in doing something about the stock 5AR4 rectifier by going with a GZ34 - but not for that kind of money. I figure Mick knows what he is doing when he ships the tubes it comes with, so I have just been enjoying it.
Re: the imaging: have you experimented with speaker toe in/out since putting the Supratek in your rig? At 9.5 ft apart and 10 feet away, you may have some wiggle room there to account for the overall presentation of the soundstage as reproduced by the Supratek. |
1 meter is a little over 3 ft, about the length of the stock umbilical (at least on my unit). A 1 meter length from Revalation is 269.00. If I do the math, .5 meter is about half the length of the stock, not a third. I agree though, that Mick designs with specifics in mind, including the length of the umbilical. |
Sorlowski-
I just placed and order with Brad at Revelation Audio for a 1 meter CryoSilver Reference umbilical for my Chenin. 1 meter for this is now 269.00.
As for power to the Chenin I have been using the Silent Source Signature Power Cable and been very happy. Up until a few weeks ago the Chenin was run via this directly into a dedicated 20A wall outlet. Now the Chenin's power is first passed through the Walker Audio Velocitor plugged into the wall with it's own Silent Source Sig. PC.
The improvements to the soundstage with the Walker have been impressive - much like finding just the right 6SN7 tube pair.
I am anxious to see what happens with the replaced umbilical. I would imagine if nothing else, the noise floor should drop a bit more. The twisted wires on the stock ubilical don't have much shielding. |
Stilkskin-
Thank you for the kind words. The Chenin is in fine company. The phono stage in Mick's preamp brings out the best in the Magic Diamond cart for sure. I have finally begun to experiment with some different 6SN7 tubes and am really getting an education in the various attributes they offer. |
Richmon-
I hope to post my thoughts on the Revelation upgrade once I have some time with it. It takes Brad some time to get them out as each is custom made to order. It makes sense that it would be an improvement. The stock umbilical (too long, not that well shielded), seems like a possible entry point for noise.... |
Interesting. Not less than 2 hours ago, I sent Brad an email to inquire about my order for same. I ordered and paid about six weeks ago too....
His last communique to me said he would notify me when it ships. Maybe the wait for the upgraded umbilical is like the wait for the preamp ;) |
I received an email from Brad Sunday 3/11 stating that the umbilical "will be on it's way shortly", apologizing for the "unforeseen delay"..... I will post once it arrives.
On another subject: I just finished replacing the stock feet on both the PS and the head unit with Walker Audio Valid Points and Resonance Discs. Noise floor seems to have dropped another 10-20% over the rubber stock feet. |
Brad-
Thanks for posting here and giving everyone an update on the situation.
Maril555-
Well said! No one should discount another's impressions of what they are hearing in their systems. If you are hearing the glare - at the end of the day all that matters is that you hear it and it is not pleasing to you. That said, I must say that I have not heard glare in my system. I for one think that the Supratek preamps are very revealing of even the slightest issues in source components or system synergy, and will send downstream everything it hears. For example: my turntable and cartridge combination allow for and reveal minute changes in VTA with respect to the presentation of the music. Even the most tiny adjustments are passed by the Supratek to the amps and speakers and are very easy to hear.
Each of us should learn from the others's experiences, rather than find fault with them. Just because your experience with a product does not match mine does not make it any less valid... |
6) "A voice of wisdom at last."
Really? What specific wisdom? What actual questions were asked by Joe? None,just feel good thoughts meant to soothe. You two want your hands patted,go find your Mommies. Zachdb, My comments were not meant to "soothe" anyone. If you re-read my post, you will see that I have never reported any glare in my system. Further, I believe that my source components and downstream components are of sufficient quality to support MY PERSONAL observations and my belief that Supratek preamps are world-class. The glare others have reported in their listening experiences were THIER PERSONAL observations. In re-reading the posts, I do not see any evidence of Maril555 or Opus88 "slamming" Supratek or saying anything that could scare potential customers away. You said it best yourself when you commented that they are in the distinct minority. Ilia (Maril555) has enough faith and respect for Mick's products to upgrade to the Cortese from the Chenin. Perhaps both had issues with system synergy that emphasized the glare they were hearing. I haven't heard their systems. Agree to disagree with them and leave it at that. |
As an FYI to folks following this thread, I just recieved a notice from Brad at Revelation Audio Labs that the custom umbilical for the Supratek power supply is on it's way to me. To those of you waiting for yours, you should be hearing from Brad shortly... |
I did recieve my cable from Brad. I ordered it on January 30th, and recieved last week. Fit, finish, and build quality are very good. I cannot comment yet on whether or not it makes a difference as the pin configuration and size of the connectors on the RAL umbilical do not fit my Supratek.
I would advise that anyone who orders one be very specific as to how many pin sockets you have AND the barrel size on your stock umbilical. Brad told me that he has seen 6, 7, and 8 pin sockets. Mine only has 5 and a smaller barrel size than what ships with the RAL. I am currently waiting for Brad to try and source the one I need.
If someone wants one - and has an umbilical with 7 pins - email me off list and perhaps we can work something out. |
Actually - having gone down that road, only to have the RAL umbilical NOT work, I think you are both right. I don't roll the tubes in my Supratek - trusting Mick's choices as the right ones. I should have done the same with the umbilical.
That said - I have found improvement by removing the little hard rubber feet from both the PS and head unit, and replacing them with Walker Audio Valid Points and Discs... |
Slowhand-
I've gone to RMAF three years running now. As soon as I saw your post I called the Marriott and reserved my room for next year.
I am looking forward to meeting Mick in person. |
