Just received an e-mail from Mick. He says the name of the new KT-88 amp is Malbec. The amps will have a gain control which will help it match to any system and it will have a feedback control to help it match to various speakers. My Berning amp has this also. This is a nice feature as it helps control the woofer for tighter bass.
Preamp Deal of the Century
If anyone is looking for a true "World Class" preamp at a very fair price..heed my advice. I just recieved a Supratek Syrah preamp that was hand built by Mick Maloney in Western Australia, and it is absolutely beautiful! This preamp is the best deal you will ever find. I would put it up against any preamp out there for both looks and sound. Price? $2500 for the Syrah (includes Killer Phono stage). Not into phono? Try the Chardonney line stage for $2100. Don't get me wrong, I am not associated with this company. I am just a very happy owner! This preamp is VERY dynamic, yet liquid. It conveys the sound of music better than any other preamp that I have ever heard! You can check out the Supratek website at www. cantech.net.au
3,888 responses Add your response
Hi Sorlowski, I switch between Sylvania,RCA grey glass & Tung Sol 'mouse ear' 6SN7's. Tried lots of others but these are all nice in different ways. I'm looking for a spare pair of Tung Sol 5881's, tried the EH 6L6 but they are horrible and add a grainy edge to the sound. Wondered if anyone had tried the re-issue made in russia tung sol 5881's ???? Rgds Simon |
I have Chenin, and for fun I have been rolling tubes. I have noticed that the biggest overall difference in sound makes replacing stock 6sn7. According to tubeworld the best 6sn7 is Mullard ECC33 military version (CV2821) https://www.tubeworld.com/6sn7.htm I have been looking for it for a long time. Somebody on ebay from England is selling pair. http://cgi.ebay.com/CV2821-ECC33-MULLARD-TUBE-VALVE-NEW-1-PC_W0QQitemZ9714276908QQcategoryZ39997QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem I bought one pair form him. It was not microphonic, the biggest problem with Supratek. If it is the best I do not know, because since I have moved to new place (small room, with crannies, scene collapsed, bass if uncontrolled). But at previous place stock tubes sounded really bad in comparison to KenRad, Sylvania. Someday I will move to golden room and I will appreciate it (at least I’m hoping for it). If somebody would decide to try it (and have sound transparent room), please let me know if you could hear the difference and if it was worth the asking price. |
I also have had very good communication and advice from both, Mick and Thom. Mick solved a minor problem with my Chenin over the internet with my technician in a couple of days, and Thom helped me with a problem with my Micro Seiki 505 even though I didn't buy a turntable from him. Impressive. I've changed most of my system since my last post, but the Supratek! The Linn is gone and it has been replaced by a Teres 255/Micro Seiki 505/Zyx Airy 3. The Silverline Sonatas have been replaced by a pair of Coincident Total Victory. I have kept the Lamhorn/Lowther EX-4, the Wright Sound 3.5 and I bought a pair of Golden Tube 300B SE monoblocks. If the KT-88 will sound like a SE amp, I would consider them! Best regards, Pablo. |
Having owned a Supratek Chenin pre-amp for approximately 2-years, last week, I had occasion to contact Mick about a perceived problem. I say perceived, because after Mick's reply, I realized that I had made an erroneous assumption. However, the reason for this post is to not discuss the specifics of my communiqué with Mick, but to commend Mr. Maloney for his first rate communications skills. Not only were Mick's communications before the sale detailed, cogent, and prompt, but thereafter, my experiences were as positive as before the sale. It's great owning a fine piece of equipment. It's even better knowing that its designer and manufacturer provides top notch customer service. PS. The same positive comments apply to my turntable manufacturer, Thom Mackris (Galibier Design), my amplifier manufacturer, Ken Stevens (CAT [Convergent Audio Technologies]), Dr. Roger West -- my Soundlab speaker manufacturer, and Gordon Rankin of Wavelength Audio (my USB DAC designer/builder). I've said it before on Audiogon, but it bears repeating, by buying from cottage and SMALL businesses; I’ve reaped BIG rewards, and have forged lasting friendships. Cheers to all those I’ve mentioned, and to all the other wonderful dedicated, inventive, manufacturers and hobbyists that help us reproduce the music that so fires our passions! |
I have to concurr with SteveM.I have tried TJ meshplate PX4s,EH 300Bs and TJ meshplate 300Bs in my Cabernet.The TJ 300Bs are vastly better.They have utterly amazing treble and a lovely double cream sort of richness without any loss in vibrancy.In a way they are the epitome of the 300B sound. The EH 300Bs sound dull,dry and compressed by comparison. JT |
slowhand: did mick say anything about how the amps are wired? i'd presume that 60 watts from a single pair of KT88 tubes means the amps are wired for ultralinear operation. i'm hoping he can wire them for triode operation as well as i intend to biamp with the supratek amp on top and a pair of digital amps on bottom. |
Hi Gang, Just received an e-mail from Mick and he says the KT-88 amps are almost ready. He is very happy with the sound. They will be 60 wpc. He had to give up a little power to get the sweetness he wanted. Still, 60 watts of tube power should be enough for most applications. I am sure that these amps will be a perfect match to Mick's preamps and will probably take care of microphonic problems that other amps cause. |
Regarding the microphonics of the DHTs, I also have had considerable "challenges". The most important factor, I've found, is the sensitivity of the amplifier. With very high sensitivity amps, such as my ASL Hurricanes, the microphonics are very noticable. Yes- I can also hear my voice when speaking in the room near the preamp and no music playing. I've experimented with the PX-4s, 45s and 300Bs. I've found that the 300Bs (especially the WE)are the least sensitive to microphonics; the PX-4s and 45s the most. With a lower sensitivity amp (or placing attenuators in the line between the pre and amp), it's less noticable or goes away. Having said all this, if you can listen past the microphonics, I've found that the incredible dynamic range, musicality, transparancy and openness of the DHTs are worth the trouble. I am currently using EML 45s in my Grange. I have a Cortese modified to Grange currently for sale on Audiogon that changed out the DHTs for single triodes to offer less microphonics. |
Supratek Grange Based System - My Pictures ...in case any of you might be interested, I spent some time uploading pictures and reviews of my audio system on the Audiogon Systems Ever Evolving pages. Go to: http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?vevol&1146370182 Hope you enjoy looking at it... Regards, Steve. |
Steve, even with all stock tubes, the microphonic issue is still bothering me. May be is the casing or inadequate damping. I had tried all sorts all isolation methods but failed. I am going to move to a bigger listening room to try it out. Kgturner, Mick switched to PX4 tubes when he was making mine in December 2004. PX4 tubes were superior to 101D according to him. I like the PX4 sound pretty much. Later I sent it back for "upgrading" to accept 300B tubes as well. So far I prefer the PX4. |
Slowhand: No, I have not heard the KT88 amps yet and I'm not sure of their release date, but it should be soon as KG says ?? Kenji: that sounds like unacceptably high levels of microphonics in your Cabernet. Its usually tube related. My Grange has a small amount of microphonics with EH-300B tubes and absolutely NONE with the TJ-300B or 45 tubes. BTW, the meshplate TJ-300B is magnificent sounding! Its not even close, it makes the others sound crude in comparison. Regards, Steve. |
slowhand: last email i sent an email to mick regarding the kt88. he said he was a couple of weeks out waiting on a transformer supplier. shoot him a line as this was about a month ago when i emailed him i believe. kenji: the cabernet is able to use px4, 300b, and another dht which i can't remember. i'm not even sure if mick is still using the 101d though i'm sure he would if asked to do so. he said he prefers the new dual 6SN7 design over the dht design and he encountered issues with owners frying their dht because they'd forget to switch to the proper voltage and complaints of microphonics. |
Not so Kenji! I would argue that every Supratek preamp is handmade and 'special' , that the directly heated triode (DHT) models like the Cabernet have their own sound and are unique products that will stand the test of time and may actually become collectable ...plus that bulb shaped TJ-101D is hell sexy and a selling point!! Regards, |
Has anyone implemented or researched the Welborne Remote Control? http://welbornelabs.com/remote.htm I installed a DACT in my Chardonnay which was a huge step up in transparency over the stock Alps Blue Pot. I have considered the remote option for the DACT, but the Welborme remote would offer more steps of attenuation. My greatest concern would be a reduction in transparency, but Ron Welborne seems to think his remote would be equal to the DACT in transparency. Any thoughts or experience would be appreciated. |
Read this in a for sale add (Syrah) "Here the original 417A/5842 has been replaced with a E180F/6688, which is the same tube used on the Cortese and Grange models. When triode-connected, the 6688 has the same transconductance as the 417A, but has a higher amplification factor and better linearity - and it sounds better too." Are these a direct replacement for the 5842s or does the amp need modded? Thanks Simon |
kg: I haven't heard the double 6SN7 circuit, but I just got my gold Grange back from Mick with an upgrade of TJ-300B meshplates driven by EH-6SN7's ...all I can say is WOW what a difference!! Extra detail, speed, separation, control in the bass (less bloom), and heaps more clarity and treble extensiion. Plus it retains the 300B midrange magic. In terms of the sonic differences between the dht 101 and double 6SN7 - you need to trust Mick on this one. If he says the double 6SN7's sounds better then they probably do, the guy is rarely ever wrong on such matters. However, I agree with you that the bulb shaped 101 is a very sexy looking tube! I've owned the dht TJ-101 Cabernet pre and it did sound excellent. The 101 has a distinct sound, a very pristine presentation with a hear-through character and if you are a detail freak, it will suit you well. The 6SN7 is an overall competent tube that does everything well and is very sweet sounding. Hope this helps ... Regards, Steve from Western Australia |
has anybody had a chance to hear the new cabernet using dual 6SN7's (2 pair that is) rather than 6SN7/DHT? mick said the new cab design is about $1k cheaper and sounds better. i know it's dumb of me, but i think the DHT version would look better so i'm still leaning in that direction. hopefully somebody has had a chance to hear the new cab. i would appreciate any insight from those in "the know." |
Got my Chardonnay yesterday, took it out of the box last night and was just amazed. I just sat there for about a hour just looking at it. It is so stunning to look at. By the time I did some rearanging and got it hooked up it was so late that I just played a couple tracks on a cd. I just wanted to make sure it worked, but boy did it sound good. I also was not sure if it inverts phase or not, as my old preamp did. I email Mick and he said it does not, so I have to go staighten out my speaker wires at the amp. Otherwise so far so good, my only wish is that the manual could be a bit more informative specs wise. |
You should have in in about a week or maybe less. As long as it does not get stuck in customs that is. Did you give Mick your SS#. I am told customs is requiring this now. If you did not give it to him, you will probably get a call from Fed Ex or DHL telling you it is waiting in customs. As for break in time. At least 100 hours, and truly more like 200 hours. Don't worry though, the pre will be a pure delight straight out of the box. As it breaks in it just keeps getting better. Don't even think about tube rolling during break in. Let those stock tubes sow what they can do. |
Hi Allanblissett, That is great. Mick must really be improving the time that people have to wait. You are going to love your pre. A word of advice. Let the stock tubes burn in good before tube rolling. In my opinion, tube rolling is not even necessary. Mick is tuning these preamps to the stock tubes. I don't think you will get better sound and you will shrink your wallet on NOS tubes. |
On the subject of tube rolling, this was in my first post on Audiogon in 2003 ... " As a final point, I have noticed that there is a lot of discussion about the merits of tube rolling with the 6SN7 output valve in the Cortese and Syrah. Personally, I think that Mick has carefully chosen the stock 6N8P (a 6SN7 equivalent) based on its sonic merits and there is no real need to replace the valve with another. I have in my collection the 6N8P and various 6SN7's including the black Ken Rads; black Brimars with red bases; Toshiba; Raytheons; Mullards and the Sylvania VT231. If I had to chose a favourite it would be the Sylvania VT231 because I find it the most transparent and the highs are sweetest(it can sometimes be a bit be microphonic though). I feel the Cortese and Syrahs are so inherently musical, that it does not make a huge difference swapping valves so long as the valve is nice and fresh, and not noisy to begin with. My advice on this is don't get anal about it, just enjoy the music! " Having personally heard and seen seen Mick Maloney develop Supratek products since its inception around 1996, I know the guy to be meticulous in tuning each preamp on an oscilloscope to get them to sound the best before they are delivered to the customer. While this doesn't rule out tube swapping (it can be interesting and good fun) it probably does mean the preamps are optimally tuned when they leave the factory, so best to leave well enough alone. Regards, Steve M. Western Australia |
Finally! Damn, I waited so long for someone to post a message like this. The NOS tubes IMO does not "really" improve the sound of the preamp, it changes it and since you spend so much $$ for the tube, it must be good right? Here's my post dated 7/7/05. You are into something here. Although the Mullards are great in my Chenin (Metal GZ34), you have to remember that when Mick listened to the preamp, especially the phono, the parameters were adjusted with the conventional tubes in service. I TOLD YOU SOOOOOOO!!!!! |
Hello Clipsal, I agree with you completely! I recieved my Cortese at the end of October of 2005. I owned a Syrah before that. Upon receiving the Cortese, I could not believe how fantastic it sounded. Since then it has gone from fantastic to absolute KILLER! I finally put in some NOS tubes, and I found the same thing as you did. The Cortese sounds better with the stock tubes! Mick has done a wonderful job of tuning the preamp to the stock tubes. I now spend my time enjoying music and not worrying about obtaining the latest and greatest tubes. All these guys selling NOS tubes for ridiculous prices can keep them. What more could you possibly ask for. A world class preamp that does not even need NOS tubes to sound world class. I also agree with your comments about your experience with NOS tubes sounding "different" but not better. My advice for anyone contemplating getting a Supratek is DO IT! .Don't worry about buying a bunch of overpriced tubes. |
I have in my posession a vast array of tubes ranging from WE350B, Tung Sol round plates 6SN7 Black Glass, Ken Rad Black Glass VT-231, Sylvania JAN-CHS-VT231, Mullard GZ34, Sylvanis 6F6G, RCA VT-232 Grey Glass, Sylvaina 6SN7GT, Raytheon 6SN7-WGT, etc.... the list goes on and one. All I can say is stop, step back, take a deep breath, and walk into the un-chartered territory that most of us have NOT known. It taken 3 years of owning a Supratek to get to this point. A complete round trip, back to where I started and the answer was sitting in my face as clear as daylight all along. Other tubes may sound different, and yes they really sound different in my system, Each new tube inserted makes a difference. But at the end of the day the Supratek was optimised for a particular set of valves, yes folks, the ones included with the unit, when the unit arrived at your door step and you had that big grin on your face. When you opened the Federal Express box(s) with the included Sovtek 5AR4, Sovtek 6SN7 and Electro Harmonix 6L6, with a tear thinking, yes, yes the time has finally come. Stop and listen to the original tubes, I think you may be pleasently surprised as to the calibre and the way it competes with NOS tubes. Best way to test this theory is to take all the NOS tubes out, dust off the Stock tubes sitting in the back drawer of a cupboard as mine where, plug them in and brace your self. It does not get much better that that...Loads of Detail, Sonic Balance that does not tend to emphasise one area at expense of another, smooth and liquidy as one friend said today. P.S. Remember to leave all the components on for at least 24 hours before passing judgement. Happy Listening, Fellow Audiophile (Learner) |
Slipknot1 I too enjoy my Chenin with the RCA VT-231 Grey glass. The Raytheons VT-231 was also superb in my application. In fact, I now have 3 pairs of Raytheons in my stash so as not to missed the ride if you know what I mean. As for the phono, as I posted a long long time ago and repeatedly, the 6C4 is the money tube for me. If you have not tried it already, I recommend the Tungsol 6C4 and the Raytheon 6C4. The Tungsol have warmer mids (like the RCA's which I know you are using), a very balance top and solid bottom. The Raytheons have a better top end but less "warmer" on the mids and it also has a little more "kick" on the bass than the Tungsols. After trying these tubes, I can now say, that the Mullard M8080(which I thought the best tubes for me in this position) was inferior to both. Lisbon, List your tubes on the Chardonnay if you have not change them already. Also, what about replacing the input cables from preamp to amp? Have you tried having the pre and the amp plug into a common outlet(local ground)? Just a thought! greetings |
Hi Lisbon, I wonder are you getting a loud noise out of both speakers? I had a scary experience with a valve filament failing which caused a very loud noise even with the sound turned down but only in one channel. However if it is from both speakers - unless it is a bad tube common to both channels? unlikely to be two tubes going at once. Hopefully Mick will sort you out. Rgds Simon |
Thanks for answering. I am turning on the system exactly as I always did. CD on. Preamp on. Power amp on. The power amp takes about ten seconds to go AND after that it stays automatically muted for security reasons. Nice. Then I unmute the power amp and everything goes well. But not now. So let me try to explain... (you know, English is not my mother tongue - sorry if my explanation is not clear) When I unmute the power amp (after doing all I refered to above) these EXTREMELY loud noises come into scene (with the volume turned down). I imediatly mute it again. Switch off the preamp. Switch back on. Unmute the power amp again and everything goes well (actually, yesterday it was not that easy - needed to turn the preamp off and on almost for 10 times...). So something is really wrong and I am naturally concerned. For the preamp and above all for my speakers. If you or anyone have had the same experience (or simple suggestions) please do not hesitate to drop a line here. Thank you in advance. * other than that, the preamp sounds wonderful. |
Hi to all Long time has passed since ny last post. Why? Beacuse, ever since I got my Supratek (Chardonnay), I stopped worrying with audio improvement. Yes, it is that good! The problem now is that every time I switch on the preamp extremely loud noises come form my speakers. You can actually see the woofers banging. Anyone experienced this? Any solution? I am trying to solve this problem along with Mick (by e-mail). But I'm afraid I'll have to sent the preamp back to get it fixed. Otherwise my speakers can get damaged for life in no time. Thanks in advance for your help. Best regards, Lisbon |
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? |
Tried a little tube rolling in my Cortese today. I have had the pre since November and have only used the stock tubes up to now. I took out the stock rectifier and put in a Phillips Miniwatt metal base GZ34. To my surprise, I saw no improvement in sound over the stock tube. I then tried a Bendix 6106. after a few minutes of letting the tube warm up, the pre started making noises I did not like (this was with the sound muted). I took the Bendix out and reinstalled the stock rectifier. The pre plays fine. I have not tried tube rolling any other tubes, but it may be that Mick has voiced the pre so well to the stock tubes that NOS is a waste. |
