Preamp Deal of the Century
Kevin, l am not sure what happened to the Grange, it must have disappeared only in the past few days. Its my understanding that the Grange utilised the same phono section as the Cortese. Mick has done a small redesign on the Cabernet, it now runs PX4's in place of the 101D's as shown in the pics. Not sure if that change has anything to do with the vanishing Grange. l am sure he could build you a Grange if thats what you wanted. Cheers |
Tom, l am not sure if the prefix (011) is the correct international prefix for calling from the US. If you have a phone where you can call + 61 8 9757 9786 then that may work. The number is right, spoke with Mick yesterday enquiring about when he may have a pair of loaner Merlots available. Sounds like l am in for a long wait :( Thanks for the info on the KT-66's Kenji, l will have to keep an eye out for a pair. Cheers |
Kevin (Ella4ever): My purchase of a Chenin was motivated by this thread. Planning on a return to vinyl, I needed a pre-amp with phono (was running a Waida direct into my amps). Just thought I would advise that the Chenin exceeded my expectations. Rather than being a detriment by being between my Wadia and amps, it was a wonderful addition. More importantly, playing vinyl again is a blast. Other than to compare a CD with an LP, I haven't listened to any of my CD's, since the purchase of my new vinyl rig. Cello advised you to check out Teres, and I did, but after fliping a coin, I decided to go with Galibier. Both Chris at Teres, and Thom at Galibier started down the the same Turntable development path, but eventually took separate courses. While I've had great results with my Galibier Quattro, and I can't say enough good things about Thom Mackris of Galibier, I'm sure Chris and his Teres Tables would provide similar results. In any case, if you decide to go the vinyl route, you won’t regret it, and the Supratek purchase. |
I'm searching for a preamp upgrade. I have an AN M2, modified with blackgates, wire, etc. I've tried the new Lector ZOE out of Italy, and I'm currently trying out the Audio Valve preamp. The Audio Valve seems like the best so far, but I'm curious about how it compares to the First Sound and Supratek preamps. I have AN Quest Silver SET monoblocs, Zingali Overture 4 speakers, AN 2.1x CD player, Music Hall's MMF 7 turntable, Audion phono stage, AN silver interconnects, Apature speaker cables, and Analysis plus power cables. The front end is all plugged into Richard Gray 400. I'd really appreciate any feedback, advice, thoughts about what preamp I should go with for my system. The AN 6 is way beyond fantasy for me. Thanks, Bill |
Mondie >>l am not sure what happened to the Grange, it must have disappeared only in the past few days.<< The Grange is now a "special order" product and, as such, not displayed on the website. The time and cost of its' production has forced Mick to emphasize the other products as demand for the amps, preamps, and linestages continues to increase. I ordered my Grange over a month ago and probably won't take delivery until mid-late February. So be prepared to wait 8-10 weeks if you are thinking about taking the plunge. |
Bill, I use the Supratek with AN gear. I have a Soro SE Phono, which is the M1 with a P2SE in one box. It does have a few mods. I also use AN speakers, CD player and some AN cables (I constantly switch, AN and others), both silver and copper. While my Teres is a little better than you MMF, your amps kill mine. I've heard them, and if I could afford them.... Between the tubes I'm using and the mods there is not much difference on the pre side. So, what I am trying to say is it is a very good mix, the Supratek and Audio Note. I too would have the M6, but 7 grand used I can't swing. Not having heard the Audio Valve I can't offer a comparison there, but I REALLY like the Supratek. Mine is an oddball one, I call it the SyrTese. I may have the only Syrah with the Cortese power supply. To quote Mick "I did some neat things with that one." The only thing that would possibly knock the SyrTese out of my system would be building an Audio Note Signature pre kit. Based on the M7, but upgraded heavily, it may be one of the best values out there. But for now, all I can say is from my experience, the Supratek works VERY well with Audio Note gear. Give it a shot. If you can find one used, one thing you don't have to worry about is losing money on it if you don't like it. |
Thanks a lot Joe, I really appreciate your comments. Yeah I love the Quest Silvers. With Western Electric 300Bs & NOS 6SN7s they are truly special. My M2 is UK designed, with the outs on the side, and it has been modified as I said. I've also got some great CBS-Hytron tubes in it. So my question is do you think that the Supratek would be a significant upgrade from the M2. With the CES going on I was able to take home the Audio Valve, and it is notably better than the M2. It's just that the Supratek looks so damn beautiful. I can't get them out of my mind, but I also want a significant sound improvement over the M2. Beautiful turntable, by the way. Thanks again, Bill |
Hi again Joe, I just realized, I think, that you were talking about the M1 part of your AN Soro. Have you heard the M2? I thought that there was an enormous difference between the M2 & the M1. In fact, when I took my M2 in for a mod, I had a M1 loaner. I ended up hardly listening to music. I've also had an M3 home for a listen, and I found it good but not impressively better than the M2 modified. Now I've also just seen your post about having to go up to an M5 to get in the range of the Supratek. Now that's saying something!!!! If I may ask, would you recommend the Sauvignon or the Chenin? I know the former is line stage only, but I pretty happy with my Audion phono stage. It seems to fit my MMF well, which is set up for MM cartridges & has an installed high out MC. Somewhere down the line I'd like to upgrade my turntable, and maybe then the phone stage of the Supratek will be useful. But right now I'd like to get the best line stage I can, & it seems like I'd get more with the Sauvignon. Again, thanks for your feedback. This is a difficult and frustrating decision, but it's sure a lot of fun!!! Anybody else have some advice? I'd love to hear it. Bill |
Mick's phono stages are wonderful as you've read here and in other on-line forums. An additional incentive is the shorter signal path, fewer connections, and elimination of another interconnect. If matrimonial harmony permits it, buy the Chenin. You can recoup some of the extra money you need for the Chenin by selling the Audion and extra interconnect. Just my $02#. |
Thanks for the feedback, but isn't the Chenin the new name of the Syrah? It costs around $2900, while the Sauvignon is the line only for the Cortese. The Cortese is about $5000 while the Sauvignon is around $3500. So I could go $2900 or $3500, but I can't go $5000. So I guess my basic question is whether the line stage of the Cortese is that much better than the Chenin? Hell I don't know, but I really appreciate your input. I wonder if the phono stage is that much better than the Audion. The Audion is pretty darn good. Are you familar with it? |
Chardonnay is linestage of Chenin (formerly Syrah), Sauvignon is linestage of Cortese, and Cabernet is linestage of Grange. I am familiar with the Audion but more importantly have not heard it with your gear which is really the key in evaluating any component. That being said I come back to my previous points regarding shorter signal path, etc. and the advantages of them. How do the Chenin and Cortese compare you asked? I guess my thought here is to contact Mick and get the scoop from him. Initially I was going to buy a Cortese but after numerous emails and discussions with him decided to have a Grange built; it matched up with my other components better than the Cortese. You only live once I suppose but we all live on budgets. One of the features that comes with Mick's preamps is they will sell quickly and without much $$$$$ loss, if any, should you need to move it. I can't recall seeing any Supratek preamp lasting more than a few days on Audiogon. Take your time and make the right decision. |
Crackling sound on my right speaker. I have run my Chardonnay for about 50hrs. with the stock tubes (EH/Sovtek) supplied by Mick. When I turn down the volume with or without playing a CD I can hear crackling and hiss noise from the right channel even as far as 7ft. As suggested by Mick I have the tubes with the white mark placed in the left channel and the other on the right. I have the pre set up just as in the manual and the gain switch is at 5th position. I'm using the TEAC VRDS 10 as a transport hooked up to the tubed Audionote DAC 3.1x signature (not balanced)with the MC352 power amp. Overall I'm not too happy with the sound. Can you'll give me some input? Thanks. |
Hi Bill, Just checked in and saw your post. Thanks. I know the M2 is better than the M1, but I didn't think there was that much difference. Now the M3 was another story. Remember, it could just be my ears. But I think the Supratek is better. I'd go with the Supratek over an M3, because as noted ad nauseum, the phono stage is SO GOOD. For vinyl, and digital from what I've read (not being a big digital fan I really don't care, so I can't comment on that aspect of it) I'd go with the Sauvignon in a minute. I'd bet he phono stage is that much better than the Audion, but again, I have not heard it so can't really comment. Now remember, I am a BIG FAN of AN products. So that means I have some sad news. I have decided to sell my SyrTese. I need the funds to finance building a set of AN Kit 3 speakers and I can live without a seperate pre while I get it done. Wc65mustang said it very well: You only live once I suppose but we all live on budgets. One of the features that comes with Mick's preamps is they will sell quickly and without much $$$$$ loss, if any, should you need to move it This was a tough decision, and mainly a financial one becuse I am on a budget. If my wife knew what some of this stuff cost.... I've been wanting to upgrade my speakers for a long time now. I guess I made the decision based on my experiences with Audio Note. I really like AN gear, even at the level I have and want to go to a higher-end all AN system. Since I want to go higher on the AN level system, I've been kind of stuck cause I can't afford 8 grand for a used set of E/SEC that show up occasionally here. So I've been talking with Brian at AN Kits and then this showed up: Nico's Kit 3's Talk about timing. Brian told me last week he would have the Kt 3's in stock in early Feb. So that's my next project. But the only way I can do it is to sell the Supratek. And I am going to miss it! |
After watching this thread closely for a long time, it's time for me jump in. I have been proud owner of a newer model Cortese for about 3 months. The Cortese replaced a SF Line 3SE without blinking an eye. My unit has the latest phono stage Mick introduced in 9/04. I listened to the stock tubes for about 200 hours before I started rolling some NOS tubes. I replaced the power supply tubes with a Mullard 5ar4 & Tungsol 5881's. The Line stage received a pair of black bottom RCA 6sn7's, the phone stage a pair of Tele CCa's. I didn't replace the Phillips E180f's or the Sylvania 12b4a's that are stock with the unit. When I replaced the tubes, there was an imediate improvement as I suspected there would be. These tubes were extremely transparent, very detailed, nice spacing between the instruments which made a more defined soundstage, but after about 300 hours of listening I felt the bass was too thin for me to be extremely happy with the tubes. I decided to play around with some other 6sn7's. I replaced the RCA's with a pair of Sylvania 6sn7's and these had most of the characteristics of the RCA's, bass slam was better detailed, but the music felt too forward in it's presentation. The next pair I tried was Tungsol's 6sn7's & bingo! The Tungsol's are open, detailed, natural, and the bass is strong, punchy, and tight. Thanks to everyone on the thread for helping out so much. |
My concern about Supratek... After having red all this thread, I am convinced that the Supratek preamps (I'm interested in the Cabernet) 1) look great 2) sound great. My concern in the following : I have a $$$ directly coupled SS amp and $$$ speakers. I don't want to damage them in any way ! Usually, tube preamps are not good with amps without caps because they can have a continuous component that would destroy the speakers. As I understand, Supratek preamps have output transformers and, therefore, are 100% safe from the point of view of a DC component. But what about a tube failure or any other problem ? I like the tube sound but I'm a bit scared... Any input on this ? Do you think it is as safe and as reliable a good SS preamp ? Thanks and best regards. |
Thanks Joe and Wc65mustang, Yeah it's probably time for me to start emailing Mick, but the constant glowing reports about the phono stage keep me wondering if I can still use my MMF 7 with it. The turntable comes mounted with a high-output MC Golding Eroica that is picked to match the Music Hall. My return to vinyl has been within the last year, and it's been wonderful. I can't upgrade my turntable/cartridge and get a Supratek. Does anybody have an idea if my turntable with be a decent match with the Chenin or Cortese? On another note Joe, have you heard Zingali speakers? My local dealer is a major AN supporter. Peter has visited several times and usually stays at his house when he does. Nice guy Peter. My dealer has the Quest Silver Sigs and is currently getting upgrades from Peter at the CES. He's sold a lot of AN stuff, especially amps and DACs, but he carries the entire AN line. He has several pairs of AN speakers, and I've heard them. But I can't remember which models. The Zingali speakers, however, are the star attraction and hooked up to Quest Silvers. If you want to talk about beautiful, the Zingalis are absolutely gorgeous. And the AN-Zingali match is truly magical. The Zingali website is Zingali.it, I think. If not, I'll check and let you know. The importer is Fanfare.com. Now about your Syrtese? Thanks again, and let me know what you think about the Zingali's. Are you at all close to the Sacto area Joe? Bill |
Bill, Don't take this the wrong way and there is no malevolence intended here but the MMF-7 and Eroica are hardly worth all of the effort you are expending here vis a vis the preamp project. This is a very average tonearm with a very average cartridge. You will never realize the full sonic benefits of a good phonostage/linestage or a good preamplifer (with phonostage)with them. Now if you intend to upgrade to a better turntable/tonearm/cartridge in the near future, then I would say go ahead with your Supratek quest. Again, this is my take on the issue. I owned an MMF-7 a few years back and for the money it's tough to beat but in the context of the other equipment you're considering, it's out of place. I hope there are no hard feelings. |
Aurel: FWIW, the Cabernet that I have appears to be capacitor coupled on the output stage instead of transformer coupled like the cortese/chenin. There are at least 2 large capacitors in it. Have to be careful when turning it off because of the caps discharge. Turn off the power amp first, but this is recommended for all high-end gear anyway. No one that I am aware of has had their gear damaged by their supratek preamps. My Cabernet has been powered on continuosly (24/7)for 6 weeks with nothing more that an occaisonal (couple times a day) low-level tic or pop from a tube, which is normal in tube gear. I doubt a Supratek preamp would pose a threat to your existing equipment...but you do seem rather risk averse. Might want to email Mick about your concerns. |
Hi Wc65mustang, No insult taken whatsoever. In fact, I very much appreciate your comments. And my questions about the MMF 7 come from the fact that I suspected what you said about it. This is why I initially asked about the linestage only supratek, but all the comments about the phone stage have me reconsidering what I might do. If the Chenin would be a significant improvement in the line stage over my modified AN M2, then I could go with that and later sell my MMF 7 & Audion phono stage to purchase a turntable worthy of the Supratek. Like you said, I need to email Mick. Because if the Sauvignon line is a lot better than the line in the Chenin, then I'm tempted to go with it and save the phono upgrades for a later time. I sincerely appreciate your feedback; it's been very helpful. I'm pretty set with the AN Quest Silvers and the Zingali speakers, but everything else is subject to upgrades. So if I may impose further, do you have any recommendations or suggestions about a Turntable that would go well with the Supratek? Again, I really appreciate your honest assessment. Anything else wouldn't really be helpful. Bill |
Cabernet transformer or capacitor coupled ? Jazzdude : thanks a lot for your message. Following an email from Mick, I think the Cabernet is transformer coupled. But my english is not perfect (and I don't want to disturb him too much !) : could a Supratek expert confirm this ??? Anyway, thanks for your input. It really make me want to buy it. Best regards. |
Ongkaku : you are using a Supratek Cabernet with a Plinius amp ! It's very interesting for a friend of mine (and maybe even for myslef although I am very please with my Plinius preamp) because we have a Plinius SA250 amp and consider a good tube preamp ! You are happy with this combo ? Plinius and Supratek are good friends :-) ? A detail : It would be good to live the amp "on" all the time (as recommended by Plinius) and to switch the preamp "off" when not used (to avoid changing the tubes every year !). For this, is it possible to use the mute function of the Cabernet ? I mean : does this really "kill" the outputs so that it is safe to switch on the preamp while the amp is already "on" ? Any comment would be welcome. Many thanks. Kindest regards, Aurel. |
Aurel, I read that all Supratek preamps are tranformer coupled. I could be wrong but the info is in the website. I believe the round semi-cylindrical "thingy" at the back of each regulator tubes are the transformer for each channel output. BTW, I have the Chenin. Well, in any case, if you can post here I am pretty sure that your English is fine and Mick will understand your inquiry. |
Correction: "I believe the round semi-cylindrical "thingy" at the back of each regulator tubes are the transformer for each channel output." I should have said "...were the transformer was "housed"...." Thanks Slowhand for the correction. One question though, I have seen older Syrahs were there is a significant discoloration on the "dome" top not the sides near the regulators which un-mistakenably heat related. So these were the pre "in-house" series? My Chenin is almost 9 months now and it is still spotless! So that will point out that the change occured not more than 10-11 months ago? Just curious. Thanks for any info in advance that you can provide. |
Ongkaku : Thanks for your kind answer. But I was wondering if there were a mute fuction on the PREAMP which really kills the preamp outputs when turning it on (allowing the amp to be "on" all the time). Indeed, even with the AMP muted I wouldn't turn on the preamp with the the amp turned on : you proect the speakers but not the amp itself. Thanks and regards. Aurel. |
My preamp is about 2 and a half years old and the chrome towers in the back are shiny on both the top and all the way around the sides. I believe that some of the early pres housed something (not sure if it was the transformers) in them. Aurel, to answer your question, yes my Syrah does have a mute switch which mutes the preamp. I can turn my amp off first or my preamp off first and I get no sound through the speakers. I can't speak for Mick, but he may have left the towers on because it set the Suprateks apart from the looks of other preamps. You would have to ask Mick to find out for sure. |
Hi Larry, l thought l would post my repsonse to your other thread here before it gets lost in all the possum vs Coon and red wine chatter! Cheers _________________________________________ There wouldn't be many around that have heard both, myself included. l bought the Chardonnay so l didnt have to wonder. l would call Mick. l find him honest, he will tell it like it is and not just try and sell you the more expensive pre. He will explain the circuit differences etc and the sound differences, you can then decide if its worth it to you. Cheers |
Braro, Do you mean that the manual says "Syrah" but you have the Chenin? The Change in name from Syrah to Chenin as I recall Mick explained to me was necessary because of the new phono section implemented. If your preamp uses 417A or variants in the phono section, then you have a Syrah. If it uses 6C4 and 6922, then it is definitely a Chenin. Yes, the manual mentions "Syrah" but if you look at the very first page, it says, and I quote, ..."Thank you for purchasing a Supratek Chenin Preamp.....". Also, I believe the Syrah has a Master Volume Control. My Chenin does not have one. I could be wrong but that is what I got. cheers! |
Hello Braro. Your pre is in fact the Chenin,identifiable by it's tube topology in the phono stage. The original Syrah and the cortese phono stage employed the 6gk5 and the 417/5842 family of dual triodes. Mick elected to use the more common 6922/6dj8 and 6J6 dual triodes for the phono stage of the Chenin. Hey gang.... there are many nos substitutes or deratives for both the 6J6 and the 6922.The 6j6 can be substituted with many drop in deratives such as the British made m8081,the telefunken ecc91 as well as a host of many others. Regarding the 6dj8/6922 dual triode.It is a relatively common tube and for many years has been the tube of choice for the phono stage of almost every major commercial company. There are a lot of sonic flavours to the 6922 family of triodes although the best examples of the tube can be rather pricy for tube rolling experimentation. I am not sure of what brand of 6922 that Mick is supplying with the chenin but I would suspect the Chenin is delivered with a currently made tube from russia or china. If that is infact the case here, and if you think it sounds great now...WOWZA!.... I can assure all of you here that your in for a very major surprise here as any one of the 60's examples of that tube type from manufacturers like seimens, telefunken, amperex,mullard etc will just flat out "knock your socks off" as a substitute here, and give one a lot more options to voice and dial in the sonic flavour of the phono stage with ones cartridge of choice! Just a word of caution though.... The 6922 family of dual triodes can be prone to microphonics and can also be noisey right out of the box, never a good thing in any high gain phono stage let alone the supratek. Those here with a stock of nos 6922/6dj8/ecc88/ecc188's and cca's may want to roll them here and post your findings. For those that don't have nos stock of the 6dj8/6922 family... I have a relatively inexpensive tube recommendation that's a definative sleeper tube substitute here and with little risk or liabilty. I suppose we can call it a nos tube as it was actually manufactured strictly for the Russian Miltary before the Soviet empire's collapse. The 6n23eb can be found out there [with a little searching] and every example of this tube is extremely quiet, sounds nothing like the hard and glarey sovtek examples being manufactured today. The triode sections are tighter than any other example of this tube type including the legendary cca's from seimen and telefunken. |
Braro, Mine (Chenin) uses 6922 and M8080(6C4). I do not know about the M8081. I do not see any markings that says Chenin or Syrah on mine either. "When you mention "master volume" are you refering to the adjustable gain on the back of the pre?" The Syrah has a "master level switch" on the back panel which has 5 positions. Does your preamp have the same? Mine does not. Maybe because my preamp has an optional independent (L and R) balance control. So Mick did not include the Master Level Switch. Ask Mick directly. I am pretty sure he will calrify whatever doubts you have. |
Hello all, I'm from Italy and apologize for my poor English. After reading this subject many times I'm ready to joining the "club", as i'm ordering today or tomorrow a Cortese. My current pre is ARC ls5 mk2 mod by GNSC, 7308s siemens outfitted, i really love it ims, but planning on a return to vinyl i need a pre-phono too. I'm thinking now to keep my ls5 as linestage and Cortese as phono,then ....I'll decide which one will be the "winner" ims. My system: AA Capitole mk2--Gyrodeck sme309 Ruby2 .7v Arc ls5 mk2..... Goldmund 29M Sonus Faber Amati. Here is my little concern: Cortese or Grange? (the latter could be clearly better than arc allowing me to sell it) Thanks everyone sharing opinions on my plan. Sandro |
One thing you guys have to remember is that there are Suprateks out there that use other tubes in the phono stage. Mine is one, it uses only 6c45pi. Cello's is another, his uses (correct me if I am wrong Larry) 2 6c45pi and 2 6922. The 6c45pi are not part of the 417a/5842 family, regardless of what anyone says. I guess it proves that any Supratek is truly a custom piece. I have not heard of any 2 that are exactly the same. So I guess what I am saying is you cannot look at tube topology to identify a model. Everybody says that the Syrah only has one tube in the ps. Wrong! Joe |
Amandarae, Ecclectique, Jphii thanks for your input. I e- mailed Mick on the subject of "Chenin or Syrah". Mick tells me he does not use sheoak for the Chenin because its too expensive. Evidently he used to use it for the Syrah though and had sheoak Syrah cabinets left over from the Syrah days. According to Mick there are only 10 Chenins in sheoak that say "Syrah" in existence. The model name above the serial # on the back also says Syrah which seems strange to me. So I guess I have a Chenin. Thanks again |
Hi Gang. Yes it seems that Mick has used different tubes in his phono stages, sometimes even in the same model of preamp. He has in past,used the 6gk5 and 5842/417a combo in the syrah as well as the cortese.His web site states he is using the 6J6 in combo with the 6922/6dj8 family. After reading some of the threads here,evidently he has used the 6c45, the 6j6 or equivalents in combo with the 6922. That said: All of these tubes are electrically similiar and are considered to be in the same family electrically speaking. Although some of these tubes may not be direct subs,they would be considered electrical cousins. There is good reason why Mick has elected to employ this family of tubes. As most of you know,his phono stage has extremely high gain and can drive even the lowest output mc cartridges available today without the use of a transformer or step up device. The 417a or equivalents,the 6j6 or equivalents,the 6c4 or equivalents or the 6c45 are all tubes with very similiar electrical characteristics. All have high GM, a high mu of around 50,low rp and high current. The 6c45 for instance, is a super tube choice for duty here, with it's closest american equivalent being the WE 437. His phono stages must be considered "World Class" by anyones standards regardless of what tube he has employed. Geez... A tubed phono stage to drive a .2mv cartridge was simply unheard of no less than 10 years ago! Don't get caught up or confused with Mick's choice of tube here gang,trust me.... he KNOWS what he is doing here guys...................... Sandro.... Order the Cortese and you will surely be unloading your ARC ls5 mk2 the very next day. As a long time and former ARC preamp owner, I have been a fan of ARC preamps since the ARC sp-3a from the mid 1970's right up to the Sp-10 mk2[ which I still own today] I have owned the SP-3a, Sp-6a, SP-8a MK2, and the SP-10 mk2 and enjoyed my time with all of them immensly. Furthermore, the ls5 mk 2 is "far and away" the best sounding line stage preamp ARC ever produced! Always musical,warm and engaging... a beauty to be sure. Unfortunately... It's not in any where near the same league as any of the supratek preamps, not even close for that matter. My Syrah simply stomps on the line stage of both the SP-10 mk2 or the SP-8 mk2 [which is basically the same line stage of your LS 5 mk2]. The Cortese is even better sir! Like killing two birds with one stone and looks like a win,win situation to me. |
Hi Gang, On the subject of noise in the phono stage with 6922 tubes, Mick told me in a recent e-mail that in the 2nd and 3rd stages of the phono that this is not a problem and that much of the problems with noise in the phono stages of preamps has less to do with noisey tubes and more to do with poorly designed phono stages. I agree with Ecclectique, when he says we need not be concerned with the tube choice that Mick uses in the phono stage. He is not about to design a phono stage that is noisey due to tubes or design. His phono sections are truly world class! I feel that my Sony SCD-1 SACD player is a top notch player with the Allen Wright mods that are in it, but with the Syrah's phono section, my VPI mk4/JMW/Dynavector combo stomps all over it! Man, I can't wait to get my Cortese!!! |
For anyone looking for some 6922 to try in their new pre,I have been getting consistent quality from a seller here on the Gon by the name of Dioto.I have bought a few pairs of Seimans gold pin, Dutch made Amperex bugle boys and Philips miniwatt S.Q.s. All are dead silent and very,very good in my Chinen.Best of all, Toms prices and service are hard to beat...Tubes through out the rest of my pre. R.C.A.6C4s,1958 vintage Dutch made Amperex bugel boy gz-37, Sylvania 6f6g,Sylvania metal base 6sn7w,... nice. The next huge up grade to my modest system is a Nordost Thor distribution block and two of their mid priced a.c. cords for starters ,this could very well be the best thing any one in this hobby could do for their system,I get it this week.... |
