Norm,
I'm not sure, but I don't think the post was really meant for you. Re-read it carefully and I think you may come to the same interpretation that I did. |
Theaudiotweak, knowing what little I do about tube circuits, I think the answer is yes. I guess this most true for a tube where many manufacturers made it, such as the 6SN7, or where there are many close substitutes, such as the 6DJ8. As the old adage goes, at least with tube circuits the customer can chose which tube he wants; in solid state designs he has no choice.
I don't understand why I am being asked this, however. |
Tbg would there be much alteration of an experienced tube designers original implementation and resulting power response curves if the end user were to swap tubes? Could these tube swaps result in whimsical colorations to fill some void of either room, equipment or end user's listening equalization preference. Tom |
Sorlowski, the best place to rattle Roger paul's own corporate H-cat cage is likely on the:
Is there anything better than the final H-cat" thread. |
I was trying to audition H-Cat wrote a few times to designer, he never bother to respond.
Does anybody have any experience with SOLEN METALLIZED TEFLON ™ FEP SUPERSOUND or SOLEN TEFLON ™ FEP FILM + TIN FOIL can be known as SCR FEP Supersound too.
They are third of the price of V-Cap. Any experience ?
Are they any good ? |
Enjoy what you have, I guess. |
Tbg,
Why the irrelevant post here on the Supratek thread?
Nevermind...it was a rhetorical question. Enjoy your sound "manipulating" preamp. I'll stick to my preamp that doesn't use some Rube Goldberg contraption to alter the signal with nonsensical, pseudo scientific explanations. |
I posted this on the H-Cat thread.
Fiddler, why the extensive and irrelevant quoting. I find only defensive and substantially illogical arguments in your posting as to why you will not bother to try the unit. Frankly, my dear (sir) I don't give a damn. I don't think many here really care what you think.
Enjoy your Supratek. Having owned one, I know even the very first H-Cat P-12 gave more detail, a substantial better image, more extended highs and lows, and was well assembled. I am still very unhappy with Mich about his not agreeing to pay for his poor quality control. |
Fiddler, I'm curious how many hours of break-in you have on those V-caps. I have read that between 300 and 400 hours, they start sounding so good that you had better hold onto your socks. |
I wonder if anyone else has the Supratek Burgundy amps? They are 100 wpc and 4 chassis. They sound absolutely fantastic. I've had them about 8 months. I haven't seen much written about them. I understand that Mick stopped making them because the were too time consuming to produce.
Thanks
Tony |
Sorry for not replying to any emails about the V-Caps or related posts here, but I am in the mountains of Montana with very limited access to the internet. Will reply when I return. |
Fiddler,
Thank for detailed description, you really get me going,
I like musical liquid sound of Supratek but I really would love to have more resolution, I had heard on CES or HE from more expensive tube preamps (which I cannot afford). I was planning to invest money in Balanced power but now I decided to try DACT and V-Caps instead. It is interesting though how can stupid cap have so much influence on the sound...
I will have to take close-up picture of my Chenin and ask Mike M. which cap to replace (to be 100% sure).
Can you tell me exact parameters of DACT you have installed ? |
Rick,
I'm encouraged by your experience with Mondeuse. Sure looking forward to getting mine. |
Fiddler,
Thanks for the description regarding your findings replacing the output cap.
I am using teflon caps (Sonicap Platinum) on my phono preamp couplings. For the output, I prefer the oil based cap. Of course, I tried the teflon(1 uF) on the outputs as well. It is excellent but synergy takes into effect.
I will dig my 1 uF Sonicap Platinum in the storage and try it with the Supratek. If the result is to my liking, then I will get the V-cap.
Thanks,
Abe |
Maril
The Mondeuse sounds better ever time I listen to it!
It is a perfect match with my Cortese.
Mick hit a home run with The Mondeuse.
It will for sure become the Amp of the Century.
Mick & Kevin out did himself again! |
Sorlowski,
I'm not sure which caps you have in your preamp. My Chardonnay had the stock cap Mick was using about two years ago. He then told me that he found the Auricaps to be better. I installed them. They were better. (I am hesitant to point you to the specific caps as your unit may be different than mine, but they are the output caps off of the tube sockets in my unit).
However, after reading opinions about the Mundorfs vs. Auricaps, the Mundorfs seemed clearly the superior cap. I tried them. Sure enough, they were considerably better than the Auricaps. The Auricaps were fuzzy by comparison.
I had read rave reviews about the V-Caps for some time. I finally decided to try them. They are huge improvement over the Mundorfs and on another planet from the Auricaps. Simply do a search. With only one exception I can find, everyone seems to agree the V-Cap is simply in another different league than any other cap. It certainly is in my experience. And if you read the reviews from a number of highly regarded manufacturers, the V-Caps have no equal.
Regarding your question, which is better - the DACT or V-Caps. Hard to say. I installed the DACT long ago. Had I installed the V-Caps first, the DACT may have made as much difference as the V-Caps, but in the order that I installed them the V-caps made an amazing difference. I honestly believe based on other component upgrades I have made, the V-Caps alone made more difference than a $7,000 component upgrade I made about two years ago.
Amandarae, the V-Caps significantly improved the tonality of my unit, especially the piano. Not to mention the overall clarity. But I can understand your reluctance to change your unit. The Supratek in stock form is terrific, but I feel like my unit is so much better now it's not funny. Remember that Mick has to weigh parts selection based on a target price point of a particular unit. Using a DACT and V-Caps in a Chardonnay would probably increase the price of the unit by $600-$700 (with mark-up) if not more. But IMHO, the product can be improved if one is willing to spend the money.
Having said all that, in the end you may prefer a stock unit over an upgraded unit, but my ears tell me it's no contest. And just to give you a frame of reference, I prefer the cleanest, most transparent, detailed and tonally accurate preamp I can get. I am much closer to that now than I was with a stock unit. |
To me, it sounds very clean almost "sterile" like. Bass is a mother but seems to be louder than the rest. Again, my comments were from my experienced only. FWIW, my left regulator tube (which was brand new) crap out after a week when I was using balance power. Coincidence, maybe, but it glowed red then turned powder white and scared the daylights out of me. Luckily, it did not damage the preamp so I switched to regular power scheme asap.
regards |
Thanks,
I will have to check how many of them (yellow 1uf/450V)are there.
I agree that Supratek sound really good from the start, but I'm hoping that with some "help" it can be that good like Lamm or VAC :)
What changed in Suratek sound with balanced power what you did not like ? |
Sorlowski,
Fiddler is talking about the output caps(just before it goes to the ouput RCA's). In my Chenin, which maybe same as your unit, it is the Auricap (yellow) with 1uF/450V rating on mine. I have not replaced mine nor planning to replace it. I am happy about my preamp as it is.
First tubes, then umbilical cords, now caps. Soon, we have to rewire the whole preamp from PS to the linestage unit. Nothing wrong with all that I suppose. I was guilty riding the "tube carnival", did not bother about the umbilical cord, but I have a feeling the teflon caps will have a difference in sound and might try it in the future.
I tried balance power on the preamp. I did not like it a bit but your experience can be different.
regards |
Fiddler,
Great post, thank for sharing with us.
I have Chenin, after opening I have found 10 big white caps (they are glued to walls). Are you talking about them ? As I understand you have replaced only 2 of them ?
Which ones ?
Could you provide me with exact resistance of DACT (type, A or C) ?
What have given you more benefit replacing caps or Alphs pot ?
Has any owner any experience with balanced power ?
Is it beneficial with Supratek ? |
Rick000,
Any further impressions of Mondeuse?
I'm waiting on my pair, should be finished soon.
Thanks. |
I want to thank all of you on this forum for your good will and support. You are a wonderful community. I have loved my Supratek Chenin over the last 7 months but, alas, am moving on (to Joule Electra).
Meanwhile, I have some great tubes that some of you may be interested in:
NOS Phillips Miniwatt GZ34 (100 hours, just broken in) @$250 (gives the deepest, tightest bass you can hear on the Supratek)
NOS RCA 6L6 regulators $124 pair (wonderfully precise and musical)
NOS RCA 6J6A to replace the M8081 in the phono stage $80 pair (these really kick butt over the M8081, incredible dynamics and clarity)
NOS RCA 6NS7 gray glass $50 pair
You'll find my Chenin listed, so tell your friends.
Happy listening, |
I replaced the 1.0uf caps (only two in my version of the Chardonnay).
They cost $176 a piece if you buy two of them.
http://v-cap.com/tefloncapacitors.html
I installed them myself in less than an hour. Relatively easy to do if you can solder. You simply have to remember which solder points the stock caps are removed from and to re-solder to the same points. Mick told me a long time ago that these two particular caps (1.0uf) would make the most difference to upgrade. He was right. I just wish I had installed the V-Caps when I had previously installed the Mundorfs. |
How many, and which ones specifically have you replaced? |
Hi Fiddler,Good to hear from you. I'm interested! What was the cost to redo your Chardonnay with the V-caps? Purchase of and installation. |
Fiddler, I have heard nothing but praise in replacing existing caps with the V-Caps. Were it not for their cost I would use them. Of course, it is impossible to replace caps within the modules of the H-Cat equipment. |
I just replaced the 1.0 uf caps in my Chardonnay with V-Caps (teflons). Wow, wow, wow!
I had previously replaced the stock Alps pot with a DACT attenuator. Rather large improvement.
I also rewired direct from the CD input to the DACT (by-passing the selector switch since I only use one source) with gold alloy wire. Another nice improvement, especially in clarity and tonality (a signature of the gold alloy wire).
I had previously replaced the stock 1.0 uf caps with Auricaps. Nice improvement over the stock caps. Then I replaced the Auricaps with Mundorf Silver Supremes. Much bigger improvement than the Auricaps.
But about a week ago I replaced the Mundorfs with the V-Caps. The V-Caps are expensive as caps go, but I have never spent better money on my system, ever. My Supratek doesn't even sound like the same preamp. Better yet. My system doesn't even sound like the same system.
The openness, clarity, detail, realism, etc. is staggeringly better. I have been reading about how good the V-Caps were, but I didn't think they could be that much better than the Mundorfs. Wrong!
Before I purchased the V-Caps, I emailed Chris Ven Haus about the long break in. He said the break in issues had been over-rated and he referred me to Ralph Karsten's (Atma-sphere) post confirming the hyperbole about the V-Cap break in. I must say after one week, the V-Caps are simply fabulous.
I would highly recommend the DACT attenuator to any Supratek owner and definitely the V-Caps. My preamp is so much better now than before these two changes that I simply can't imagine how I enjoyed it before. The difference is that great in my system. YMMV.
I have been so ecstatic about the V-Caps in my preamp that I can't wait to change the output caps in my Audio Note DAC. I ordered them at the same time that I ordered the caps for my Chardonnay, but I wanted to give the caps and my system time to adjust before I made another change. Now I can't wait. As soon as I return from vacation the V-Caps will go in my DAC the first day I am back home. |
Pablo and Rick,great to hear you guys like/love your new amps. |
Hey guys
I recieved my Mondeuse last week,
They are Gorgeous!!
They sound great, dead quite I order mine in the Black & chrome(I believe that the one's on Mick web site are mine)
I'm sure glad Mick talked me into the Mondeuse,They are a work of art!! they topped my Plinius SA250 MKIV
I'm still trying to adjust the feedback with the damping factor to best fit my system,
even with the damping turned off it sounds GREAT.
The only draw back the binding post does not accept spades
just bannana or pins,thats a minor fix
even without my reference speaker cables on they are incredible
I order mine back in March of 2006.when Mick was upgrading my Cortese.
They were well worth the wait.
I will let you know more after I listen to them for a couple weeks
any question just ask I will do my best in answering them
If at all possible go with the Mondeuse they are the best!! |
Houstonreef, I cannot review the Mondeuse yet; but I did order a pair yesterday. 6 to 8 weeks to ship; and few weeks to listen, and you'll have my opinion. That said, I have limited experience... but I know what *I* like... : ) |
Heard for Mick about the DAC. He said he will not be putting one into production because of so much competition and he can't get the chip he likes anymore.
Bummer! |
slowhand:
i remember mick discussing a DAC as well. he was considering selling it for $500 for basic casing and upwards of $600 in a preamp-matching wood (piano black)/chrome casing from what i recall. i was going to wait on it, but found a great deal on the 47 labs setup i'm currently using. |
It was in an e-mail with Mick in Dec. 2004 that he said he was working on a DAC. He was getting so many orders for preamps that he said he would have to put it on the back burner. I hope he makes it a reality. |
Hi Houstonreef,
don't change the top plate mounted gain switches with the volume turned up !
However if you just turn the volume down, you can switch thru the rear gain knobs positions and just listen for the best setting. From reading on here, most people prefer the gain set high. I find lowering the gain can make my system sound more relaxed, other people reckon it looses dynamics.
Very much listen and set it to what suits you & your system the best.
The beauty of this range of adjustment is , that as Mick says, it should allow to you find the sweet spot that matches your power amps/speakers. |
Are you serious, slowhand? That is going to be awsome!!! |
Am I crazy or did I read somewhere that Mick is working on a DAC for cd players? |
Hi Houstonreef. The Coincidents are 96db. Mick modified the Malbecs to work with my high efficiency speakers. As usual, first class service. Pablo. |
thanks Simon74, i just reset the 2 middle backward and gain significantly in volume but i need more time to compare the linestage in low and high gain. what is your favorite (low or high gain) anyone? |
Hi Houstonreef,
re your Syrah, the sitch top front is for the tape loop,
should be in the forward position unless the tape loop is in use.
The two toggles mid top alter the gain of the line stage(one for each channel),
on mines at least they switch backwards for high gain & foward for the lower gain.
The 5 position switch to the rear is in it's highest setting when turned fully anti clockwise and reduces the gain when switched clockwise.
I tend to set the gain as high as I can without 'tube rush' being intrusive but that will depend on your system.
Hope this helps |
Thanks Pablov, What is db of your speaker?
I have Syhra pre. Anyone can advise me how to control the switch at the front and the other two switch in the middle and the knob on the back. Note that i play linestage only.
Thanks in advance. |
First impressions on my Malbecs. They make my Coincident Total Victory speakers sing! They never sounded as good before. Very well controlled bass, excellent mid and high frequencies. No problem of hum or any kind of noise at all. They definetively will replace my very well regarded Golden Tube 300b MK I. Pablo. |
Anyone can give us the review of this amp, The Supratek MONDEUSE?
|
OK - on a different tack - as / my post of 04-15-07.
Having read about a couple of early Syrahs being changed from 6SN7s driving the linestage to a noval fitting 6n1ps tubes and parafeed(ala John Tucker mods)? Similar dual triodes with double the heater current , I think to the the 2x 6H3n-E that came in my pre, does anyone with a good understanding know if there is any feasibilty of changing my pre to octal sockets /6SN7's & would this increase the gain? On the other hand, maybe changing it to 6SN7's would kill how nice it sounds, 'comparitvely' speaking and a shame as I have a cupboard full of 6SN7's.
I love this old thing but it barely has enough gain to drive my Audiopax 88s on CD and the phonostage, although appearing (to my untrained eyes)very similar in layout to the Syrah has so little gain to be less than useless.
I still have my Syrah but not keen to go back to it after hearing this pre, which possibly due to the much heavier psu, sounds way better.
I'm also assuming the increased transparency and the lack of
histrionics every time my wife brings her mobile phone into the house is down to the stepped attenuator volume control as opposed to the Syrah's remote.
Talk about a two edged sword :-( |
fyi:
mick updated the supratek site with new pics of the malbec and mondeuse. i didn't notice any other changes though. |
I have also got a RAL umbilical lead but it makes no differene to the hum. I am certain it is related to the power supply somehow but I still haven't worked it out. |
I had the some problem hum in right channel. Changed tubes, moved speakers, always in right channel. I did not have that problem in previous apartment, Supratek was dead quiet. But since I have moved, hum is constant.
It is mains, power cables related. Recently I have bought umbilical cord from Brat. I was really angry that it took him so long. But to be honest hum is gone first in 2 years. I still cannot believe it. Neither power cables not interconnects did that much of a difference for me. Dynamic is better, micro dynamic is better too. I doubt that in previous place they would be such a difference but for peoples with hum problem it is a great buy. |
I spoke to Mick today and he thinks it might be picking up some ac current from a nearby transformer. I followed his suggestion and moved it well away from any power source, but still the same. Possible a faulty output transformer?? I have subsequently emailed him. Here's hoping. |
mark:
i'd suggest you email mick and see if you can't ship the sauvignon to either him or kevin covi (depending on your location) for repair. i know you stated that you had the preamp checked out, but i would tend to believe that mick or kevin could find the problem if it is indeed in the preamp as you suspect. |
Query re sauvignon linestage
I have had a sauvignon linestage for 2 years plus. It has always had an annoying hum in the left channel only. I have definitely isolated it to the preamp. It becomes almost non audible when the gain is turned down, but this also results in a loss of dynamics. I had the preamp checked out by a local valve guru and he couldn't find anything wrong. Another interesting thing is that when the remote is used, a higher frequecy humm comes from the left speaker only. I assume this is motor noise from the volume control motor?? The right channel is dead quiet. I have rolled the tubes. Currently using NOS Tung Sol's which IMHO are light years ahead of the EH stock tubes. Only yesterday I tried out a RAL umbilical cord but I think it has made the sound less musical. It is shorter than Mick's cord and the left channel hum is definitely louder. I suspect the hum is power supply related. The RAL cord is shorter than Mick's. I'm almost at the point of giving up with the Suavignon but I haven't heard anything that sounds remotely as good.
Any ideas appreciated.
Thanks Mark. |
Thank you Stiltskin for the clarification. English not being my first language (not even my second!), prepositions still evade me. Pablo. |
