Preamp Deal of the Century

I've got a 1 m length Revelation Audio Labs CryoSilver Reference umbilical power cable for my Chardonnay which is now unfortunately too short for my new rack. Last I heard 1 m for this is now $269.

Mine's in perfect condition, used only for the last 6 months. I'm going to get a longer one. Asking for $199 obo.
If anyone's interested, shoot me an email.

the Dodd AUdio DC-Battey powered Vacuum tube preamp is better than any $7k or under preamp I compared this to .Being run purely on 4 small gel cell batterys I get over 18 hours of use before I have to turn it off for a few hours to recharge which takes about 4 hours,being a direct feed to the amp it is a dead quiet background with far superior inner detailwithout all the power supplys and gain stages and noise to deal with.There is only 1 High quality capacitor to deal with in the signal path .I have owner a Cat ultimate signature , Conradjohnson
premier 17, this bettered it in allmost every aspect and at 1/2 the cost .This latest version is even better in the Bass now that all 4 batterys are run in series . The life span for batterys is about a 3 year average and only $65 to replace.

Fiddler,

What value did you use for the V-Caps?

Mick wrote me in Nov that "... Gain is from 5 to 25dB depending on switch." The master switch at the back of the preamp controls the amount of gain from 5 to 25 dB.

Does anyone have the gain specs on the Chardonnay? I've seen a value of 20 something somewhere??

Thanks

Ethifi,

There is no doubt that the`V-Caps made the biggest difference. However, I did the DACT first and months later did the V-Caps, so I am sure I heard more of the V-Caps due to the added clarity of the DACT. Had I done the V-Caps first maybe the difference wouldn't have been so great. But in the order I did the mods, the V-Caps made a huge difference.

Fiddler, thanks for sharing. In your opinion, which of the two upgrades (V-CAP or DACT) make a greater sonic improvement?
Thanks

Ethifi,

I used the CT2 (stereo) - 100K Ohm

http://www.dact.com/html/attenuators.html

It is not really hard to install. You will have to use a file to make a small slot in the attenuator hole of the Supratek chassis. The DACT has a small ear on the side of it to lock it in place in the chassis. As I recall, I think all I had to do to get the DACT to fit was to file a notch in the side of the hole for the DACT ear to fit through. I don't think I had to enlarge the hole, but I can't remember for sure. Either way, it wasn't really hard.

The soldering was rather straight forward. You simply need to make sure you solder the right leads to the right pins. Very little soldering to do, just take your time and be careful. The DACT pins seem somewhat fragile.

The only downside to the 100K Ohm attenuator is I can only turn the DACT up 2 or 3 clicks before things get too loud for my 98db speakers. However, I am changing speakers to a much less efficient speaker so the problem will be a non-issue soon.

Fiddler, I am thinking of doing the mod too. Can you provide more information about the V-cap and DACT mod?
For the DACT, did you use CT1 or CT2? 2 decks? Which resistance value to use? Is it difficult to change?

Oops, I mistakenly said my "stock Chard."

I should have said, my Chard with V-Caps, Dact and wired from the RCA input, by-passing the selector switch, straight to the DACT using gold alloy wire.

Arkio,

You can simply replace the coupling caps with V-Caps and replace the stock pot with a DACT and you will be amazed at the improvement in your Chard. It ain't subtle!

I would love to compare my stock Chard to a stock Sauv or a Cab. I suspect it may be closer than you would expect for the price difference.

Now if the Sauv or Cab had V-Caps and a DACT as well, I'm sure it would be no contest.

I have a question for Supratek owners who have upgraded from a Chard to a Sauv or even up to the Cabernet, how much of a % improvement did you find , and specifically in what ‘sonic’ areas did you find it , ie more air, transparency , sound stage, instrument separation, musicality etc . The reason I ask is I am looking at upgrading to a new CDP from a approx now 3K (4 year old CDP) to a new 7K unit.. Would I be better going with the better CDP or upgrading my Chard to say the Cabernet and putting off the CDP upgrade for now. Whats the bigger bang for the buck as it were from your experiences. Would love to do both but can only swing one for now.

Also the Chard I have now I absolutely love and can’t imagine things getting too much better.

Sorry if this has been covered before in this 3000+ thread. I did a cursory search but did not find specifics.

Thanks and good listening

I've spoken to Mick about using the Bendix, he said the voltages are a little different. He said the safer bet is the Mullard GZ34

Clipsal,Iv'e been using the Bendix 6106 in my power supply for my Chenin going on three years.It's a great inexpensive rectifier that I found works just as good or better then the famed Philips MiniWatt metal base gz-34.To be safe I would shoot Mick an e-mail about using the 6106 in your Cabernet Dual...

Earlier, I have asked a question about the output impedance of the Chardonnay. I got my answer from Mick himself - it's about 200 ohms. Just in case someone might want to know.

Just wondering if anyone has used the genuine Bendix 6106 on the Cabernet Dual or similar. I've got 2 of these lying around but want to ensure nothing blows up. They worked quite well on my previous Sauvignon.

Thanks

Try Aydn

http://www.aydn.com/product_info.php?products_id=180

Does anyone have a second source for the 101D tubes used in the Cabernet Dual and Single?

Hi Seadogs1, I have a Spectron Musician III paired with a Sauvignon with V-caps and it is a match made in heaven. I have the non SE version but, I'm sending the unit to John for the SE upgrade. I'll post my impressions when I get it back. The combo sounds so nice now, I'll be surpised if it sounds alot better.

There is an excellent new review of the Sauvignon in Australian Hi Fi November/December edition.

Edgar Kramer is the reviewer and his review is spot on in my estimate.This bloke really knows how to listen.

Nice to see that they measure very well too.

Mr Kramer ends up buying the Sauvignon to use as his new reference.

Hi, I've used the Cortese & Grange preamps with Nuforce; Bel Canto; eAR; Panasonic and ICE based digital amps. Sounds good with all of them. Valves bring a certain dimension, body and lushness to the party that helps the slightly cool-neutral sound of digital amps.

Regards,

Steve

Has anyone tried any of Mick's preamps with the Class D amps? Specifically, the Cabernet Single with the Spectron Musician III SE?

Anyone started tube rolling their Cabernet Dual yet ?

here's a dumb question:

how do i call mick? i have never made an international call. from what i gather, i dial 011 61 8 97572639 or 011 61 8 97579786. which of these numbers is the best number? i can't really tell if one is a fax number from his website info.

before you say it, i already know that mick is 13 hours ahead of my time zone so i will call at an appropriate hour.

thanks.

I am reporting on hearing the Monduese amplifiers.

I have always wanted a pair of Gale 401 chrome speakers for my second system.I am also a furniture designer and in my opinion they are the most lovely looking speakers ever built and very designer collectable.I remember hearing these in my youth powered by monster Accuphase power amps and Linn Sondek turntables.After many years of searching I managed to get a pair but they required a complete refurbishment including new woofer surrounds and spiders.I managed to get NOS midranges from Madisound and installed these too.

Now these have to be one of the most demanding of speakers to drive to their potential.They are low impedence and have highly damped sealed boxes.Many 200 watt RMS transistor amps really struggle to drive them.Furthermore they really don't sound that great with SS amps-which is what most people are forced to use.The bass quality in these when driven by such amps is exceptionally detailed and tight however.They are indeed famous for the quality and accuracy of their bass.

With a decent tube amp they can sound really magic though.They open up in a way that would make you doubt you are listening to the same speaker.Unfortunately the bass quality tends to suffer[the old story but magnified with these particular speakers].

With the Monduese they sound superb right across the sectrum.I have heard many Gales before but they have never sounded like what I heard with the Monduese.I would rank this as one of the very best sounds I have heard.They go from good to really great.

It beggars this question.If they can do this for a 30 year old speaker[albeit one of the best and most modern sounding of the vintage speakers],then what can they do for modern hi end speakers that are a difficult load ?

In am surely tempted to buy a pair of these and put the Gales in my "good" system with my Cabernet preamp.

Hi to all Supratekies ...

About 4 years and a couple thousands posts back I bumped into this thread and was grabed by the enthusiast, knowdledge and camaradery of most of it's posts to the extent that I read throughout the whole thing, when still it was somewhat feasible to do ...
At some point mid through it I decided that it was worth the risk so I became a Supratek owner. Now on my third unit, a full 6SN7 Grange, I am happier than ever that I came aboard Mick's train, not only for the sonic and visual attributes of it's products but for the quality of Mick's support.

Several months ago I read Fiddler's post about the V-caps and Dact attenuator. I had in my agenda some minor mods. I needed to do in my unit like adding a 2nd. phono input and changing some loading values on the phono stage to better fit my cartridges. I was able to find a local technician with a long tube expertise and plenty of high-end sensibility. After discussing the project with Mick and following his advise and considering all his words of caution I went ahead with it.

I ended up changing the output caps, in my case a pr. of 9uf 200v Auricaps for 6.8uf OIMP V-Caps and the 2 phono stage .56uf Auricaps for teflon .68uf V-Caps. Mick approved the value changes. In the case of the output caps I was forced to go with the oils (OIMP) from the V-Caps because the teflon's value (and price) were not available. After studying the V-Caps site and a couple of emails with Chris Ven Haus and considering the much lower price of the OIMP I went with them. I also changed the Alps for the DACT attenuator.

To this point I have put short of 200 hrs. on the unit. I can tell you without any doubt that this has been the greatest improvement from a modification to my system I have experienced. The improvement in clarity and detail is very notable but also in weight, punch and air without any detriment to the tonality of the presentation. In my case both changes(capacitors and volume control) were done at the same time so cannot separate their individual contributions.

The Teflon V-Caps cost was $314 and the OIMP were $112; the DACT was $190, pluss the corresponding shipping and about $100 for the whole labor. To me it was very much worth it.

I would also ask the tube experts on this thread about a rectifier substitution. I am considering a Western Electric 422A NOS which I am told can be a sustitution for the GZ32/5AR4 rectifier used by this unit. Is this a valid substitute? Any comment as to it's sonic attributes? Not a cheap alternative, so any comment will be greatly appreciated.

Keep in touch.

The following speakers impressed me. The Audiokinesis Dream Maker at $9000 a pair was very nice, but the Jazz Module at $4500 a pair seemed like a great buy.The Jazz Module has 92db efficiency, 32Hz to 17.5 kHz and is tube friendly. The Studio Electric T3 speakers sounded great. They listed at $8000 a pair. I also heard some monitor speakers in the Soundsmith room that blew me away. Fantastic sound in a small box. I don't remember the model, but they are on the Soundsmith website. For cost-no-object the Proclaim DMT-100 was very impressive. You can see them at proclaimaudioworks.com 3 round balls that set on a aluminum alloy stand. Price $26,000! I am sure there were more, but I don't remember them right now.

Slowhand,

If you have already posted your speaker impressions, I missed them. I am in the market. Could you please tell me what you heard that impressed you and what disappointed you.

Thanks,

Warren

I think the real highlight for me was getting to meet so many people in the industry. I met Thom Makrus of Galibier Turntables. He invited me up to his listening room on Saturday night along with a few other people and we spun LP's from 7:30 to 10:00 PM. It was great. On Friday, Duke LeJeune of AudioKinesis invited me over after the show closed for the night to hear his Jazz Module speakers. That was a blast. I also met Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Technology and Allan Bhagan (I may have spelled his last name wrong). Allan is David Berning's right hand man. Allan was showing David's new $30,000 monoblocks (killer sound). I also had the pleasure of meeting Ralph Bagge of Artisan Audio. Ralph is the designer of the Artisan tonearm that Thom Makrus is using on his new Serac turntable. Price of the table, arm, and cartridge is about $4000 and it sounded very close to Thom's more expensive table. I heard the strain gauge cartridge in the Soundsmith room. Beautiful sound. The M-A Records room was using a 10 year old Sony cd player to demo their cd's. It was a very interesting design that was never imported to the USA. The designer of the player was there. He was an elderly Japanese gentleman who spoke no English. There were 2 younger Japanese gentlemen there with him to translate for him. He was very interesting to talk to.

There is so much to see. I was there on Friday and Saturday (we had to fly back home on Sunday). I hope to be able to stay for all 3 days next year. You really need all 3 days to see everything. I only ran into one other Supratek owner (docsavage). He is a very nice guy. We were in Thom Makrus's room together for the vinyl party.

We really need to make firm plans to have all the Supratek guys meet up at the show. You think you will run into each other, but it does not seem to happen because of all the people and the fact that the show is spread out.

I did want to mention that although there are many people there. I never had a problem getting into any of the rooms. The fact that the show is spread over many floors helps. I hope this convinces many of you to go. I really want to meet all of my Supratek friends next year.

Slowhand,Just tuned in after my last post here.I'm going to try my best to make it next year.It would be great to meet some of you guys.With Mick attending next years show I don't imagine he will want to ship his amps and pres back to The Land Down Under.Hmmm? a new pair of mono amps. Too bad about the Podium speakers,makes you wonder about the reveiw at 6 Moons.Anyway Slowhand can you tell us more about the show? what was the hight light for you?

I made my reservations for the RMAF next year. We should make a Supratek badge to wear so we recognize each other at the fest. Maybe we can get Mick to host a private listening session in his Supratek room after the show closes for the day on Friday or Saturday.

I'll be back to RMAF next year for sure as well. Auditioning Supratek will be one more reason to attend. . . by the way, It was great to meet you in Denver Slipknot1! Guido

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.

Slowhand:

i would love to go, but, even a year in advance, i don't think i'll be able to make the trip due to more pressing financial obligations. did mick say who he may team up with in regard to source/speaker/cabling? on his end, i assume he'll be bringing the grange, dual cab, mondeuse, and malbec at the very least.

Well gang, I have to say that I am surprised at the lack of response to my announcement about Mick telling me he will be at the 2008 RMAF. I would have thought that many of you would like to have a chance to meet Mick in person, but it looks like I may be wrong. I had such a good time at the RMAF this year that I had made up my mind that I wanted to attend next year, but with Mick announcing that he is going to be there, I am making my reservations as soon as I can.

I have BIG news for all Supratek owners. I spoke with Mick Maloney after returning from the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Mick told me that he will be attending the RMAF next year as an exibitor! He will have a full room of Supratek amps and preamps. I am hoping that as many Supratek owners as possible will be able to attend. This is our chance to meet the guy that has put a permanent smile on so many of our faces and to thank him in person! I wanted to give everyone plenty of advance notice so you can set time aside to attend. I for one would like to buy Mick a drink or take him to dinner, and I am hoping that many of you would like to do the same. This would be a great opportunity for all of us Supratek guys to get together. The RMAF takes place next year on October 10, 11, 12 2008 at the Marriott Tech Center Hotel. I will keep averyone informed as to when you can start making reservations. Please try to attend if possible. It is a ton of fun and with Mick there, that would be the icing on the cake!

BE SURE TO READ MY NEXT POST. I HAVE VERY BIG NEW FOR ALL SUPRATEK OWNERS AND POTENTIAL OWNERS!

come on, tom. don't leave us hanging. especially as i'm still waiting on a cabernet.

The Audio fest was fantastic! I can't wait to go again next year. I have never seen so much audio equipment in one place. All the exhibitor's were very friendly and accommodating. I was asked if I had music that I wanted to hear in every room I went in. I made some great new friends there. The seminar's were very interesting too. I went to one given by Roy Gregory of Hi Fi+ on proper analog setup. It was a very eye opening experience. I also attended one on mastering of records given by Bernie Grundman. That was a real treat. Bernie has a new record label called Straight Ahead Records. I ended up buying all 3 LP titles that he had. The artists and the recording quality are top notch. I highly recommend them. Check them out at straightaheadrecords.com I heard the Podium speakers that Mick thought would be a great match for the Supratek's. The model 1's had shipping damage, so I heard the model .5's. I was not impressed. I have talked to Mick since returning from the show, and he said the pair he got had some shipping damage too. Apparently, these are not very well packed. He was able to play them, and he too was disappointed in the sound. This show is very consumer oriented and I highly recommend going. BE SURE TO READ MY NEXT POST. I HAVE VERY BIG NEW FOR ALL SUPRATEK OWNERS AND POTENTIAL OWNERS!

Slowhand,Baranyi how was the rocky mountain audio fest?

fedex trashed a htpc that i sold. i had properly insured it. all i had to do was provided documentation that it was worth what i had insured it for and they reimbursed me in full. this was only $425 or so. i have no idea how they react when having a larger payout like your's will be.

Thanks for your response TVAD. I was assuming that Blue Book wouldn't have a small company like Supratek. My Cortese was used; I bought it for $3,000 and that's what it was insured for with FedEx. I wonder what they will do if there is no Blue Book value. Anyone have experience with FedEx and claims?

Thanks,
Winston

Hi,
Does anyone here know what the Blue Book value is for the Cortese? FedEx damaged my Cortese in shipping. They haven't resolved my claim yet, but the claim agent tells me that the reimbursement will be based on "blue book". I'm wondering if the Supratek's are even in the blue book and what Blue Book has them valued at if they do have them.

Thanks,
Winston

I don't know what credence anybody here gives Martin DeWulf of "Bound for Sound",but he thinks it might be the best P.C. out there,maybe even better than the Aluminata.
Never tried it myself,but thinking of it.

Did anybody try Valve Art KT-66 or 350B tubes for regulator duty in their Sauvignon or any Supratek pre-amp?

Well maybe I was alittle hasty punching in $1500.00 for the w.e.350bs. I see Tube World has simular to what I have 1950s 350b for $500.00 each.Three years ago Tube Depot advertised a new Philips MiniWatt metal base GZ-34 for $200.00,its $499.00 now.For the exact same vintage,Tube World three years ago advertised them for $225.00.Now $500.00 plus.Preamp and phonograde e88cc/6922 and ccas,they sure are expensive in North America.....Bob If you pay the shipping $8.00 $10.00 I will "GIVE" you some very good vintage vacuum tubes to try in your Chenin.Shoot me an e-mail and we will go from there.....

Stiltskin, after you sober up you might want to try posting again. $1500 for WE 350Bs...te he he he.

Tell ya what, I'll trade ya a CJ PV 2a for the 350Bs. Have you seen what vintage CJs are going for now...if you can find one! Especially in Norte America.

Stiltskin,
I was excited until getting beyond your first sentence! Bob

I'm not selling any tubes,not right now anyway.Looking back I wish I bought more in the 1990s.Yep Tube World,he's selling them....