Hello Mark,
Good to hear from you. Have not heard from BWhite in a long time. Some of us have decided that Mick was right about the fact that tube swapping is not really necessary for great sound. When I replaced my Syrah with the Cortese, I found that it sounded best to my ears with the stock tubes. These are the tubes the preamp was tuned to and Mick has a great ear for sound. The talk now is about the Malbec amps that Mick has started building. Amps that are a perfect match the the wonderful Supratek preamps are what we have waited for. And they are affordable to boot. I am getting ready to order a pair, but I must say that they will need to be extremely good to best my Berning ZH270 amp. I love this amp and can't see ever getting rid of it, but I would love to directly compare it to the Malbecs. Mick has taken on a couple of partners, and it seems that orders are not taking near as long as the 11 months I waited for my Cortese (worth every minute)
Sorry, that was more than 10 words. |
Slowhand,I found a good home for my beloved CJ MF2500A,,I actually love the sound of this amp ! Crazy hobby!I just cant resist wondering how the Malbec monos are going to sound with my Chardonnay,,,I ll be shipping my CJ out Monday,,so ill get a taste of what Kgturner is going thru,,staring at my ampless speakers!!! |
Hello Ray,
Hopefully your wait without an amp will be short. |
Can anyone give me an idea of the life span of regulator tubes like the 350B or 6F6G in the Chardonnay? thanks |
Thank you Tom,Looking forward to getting that email from Mick soon! |
Hi Colin. When used for regulation duty [rather than used as an output tube] the 350b, 6f6g or any of the other tube choices should last longer than you will! That said: the rectifier will have a far greater influence on the sound of the amplifier regardless of ones choice of regulation tubes. Considering the cost of admission for a pair of strong testing 350b's, one would be miles ahead investing in the metal based version of the GZ-34. Yes, they are rather expensive....but far and away the best sounding full wave rectifier on the planet. |
Many thanks for the tip, David. I'll be on the lookout for the metal-based GZ34 then. |
ASA:
Very good to see you back! Where the heck have you been?
Hear anything revelatory lately in the tubed amp genre that you'd care to share with us? |
Hi
Anyone got their MALBEC or MONDEUSE from Mick? How do they sound? :) |
Does any one listened wytech preamplifires( opal or jade) or melody 1688 preamplifier, and compared with supratek preamplifires? I need to buy one preamplifier , but where I live is impossible to listen any one of these preamplifiers.
Thanks |
Hi Georgemg,
I have been using a Supratek Chardonnay for two years. It is a very versatile preamp in a sense that you can tailor its sound to suit your taste, by tube rolling. It never failed to amaze me what it is capable of in regard of sound reproduction. The baseline is : it is very musical but not without the details that loved by audiophiles. All dependent on your other equipment and the tubes you used. I have a brief audition of the Melody 1688II in the Hong Kong showroom. It was partnered with Zu droid speakers and a tube power amp (I forgot the brand and model). It was too mellow for my taste in that setting. The piano was bloated with lost of attack. Voices were sweet but big.
I have no experience with the Wytech, perhaps someone else can help.
Preamps that I owned previously : ARC SP9, LS1, LS2, CAT signiture, Matisse reference, Marantz 7 (remake) and Nagra PLP (which I am still owning), but I enjoy the Supratek most.
Hope that is helpful
Regards,
ywLee |
fyi:
mick has updated the site with new pics of the sauvignon and cabernet dual. i'm amazed that he was able to incorporate his new dual circuit for bi-amping while keeping the cost at it's original $5k mark. still foaming at the mouth for my malbecs, but what can i do? |
No Malbecs out there yet. Man, I am getting frustrated and I am not even waiting for one yet. |
Hi slowhand. Lots of new people I don't recognize; the Supratek tide keeps rolling. Good for Mick. Carry on... |
Hello Asa,
Good to hear from you. Yes, there is a lot of new blood on the Supratek thread these days. I am glad that new people keep discovering how good the Supratek products are. I have been waiting to hear from somone about the sound of the new Malbec amps. If I did not own a Berning ZH270 (which I feel is one of the best amps in the world), I would have already ordered a pair of Malbecs. I will probably still order a pair to try and compare to the Berning. |
Cant wait to get my Malbecs!!Tom ,I sure wish we lived closer to each other,,I would love to hear your Berning,,Id also love to hear my Malbecs!,Peace,Ray |
Hi Ray,
I would love to hear your Malbecs also! I forgot where you live, is it Florida? I hope you get them soon. I can't wait to hear your impressions of them. |
How do you open the fuse receptacle without using a sharp object on the Cortese (2006 vintage) ? |
What kind of support are you guys using under your Supratek?
I'm sure, there been a discussion about it, but I really have no time to read the whole thread right now.
The bottom plates of the preamp and the power supply look like they made from MDF or something similar? |
my chardonnay is sitting in a salamander rack. i'll have to double check to be certain, but the bottom plates of my chardonnay are made from a thin layer of steel or some other type of metal that appears be powder-coated black. |
Kgturner,
Thanks for your response. Sorry, but I actually meant a type of isolation or absorbtion used, cones, sorbotane, etc.
I'm buildng flexi- rack with 2" Maple shelves, but not sure what type of isolation I should use. |
i'm just using the regular old boring feet that came with the chardonnay. i've thought about possible tweaking with some cones / spikes, but i really don't have any audible issue with microphonics or vibration that i can notice. maybe one day i'll try some isolation devices for chuckles. |
Maril555,
I have my Cortese setting on a rack that is similar to the Mapleshade racks (Rock Maple shelves). The preamp is supported by Mapleshade brass cones. I think the best isolation would be Silent Running Audio isolation bases. These are custom made to the exact size of your equipment and they take into account the weight and weight distribution of the piece of equipment they are supporting. |
Maril555- My rack is an older MDF one,so not a great base obviously. I've gone through Mapleshade Brass Cones,Isofeet,Boston Audio Tuneblocks(original ones) and have always come back to a set of three Gingko Mini-Clouds.
The Boston Audio products work fantastically on sources and possible other applications,but they leaned out my Syrah just too much for me. However,the level of detail was very good. There's just something about tubes and those rubber balls. Again,sitting atop MDF which may have something to do with it,YMMV. |
Wonder why nobody has reported about their Malbec or Mondeuse? Maybe Mick is still putting the finishing touches on them before sending them out. I can't wait to order a pair of Mondeuse to drive a pair of ML summits I have on order. But I need the first positive reports before making another order for Supratek equipment. |
.
I have been using Symposium Rollerblocks (cryoed) to great effect and have found them to be the best of any of the cones or other devices that I have tried.
.
Rollerblocks work incredibly well under Pre-amps (both pre and power supply), CD Players/DAC's, Amps, and power conditioners (big surprise here how much improvement when placed under the power conditioner).
.
If you have your Supratek just sitting on its own feet, you are missing out on a lot. I spent a lot of time fooling around with platforms and couplers and de-couplers. The Symposium Rollerblocks are by far the best of anything I have tried. Get a used set on Audiogon and try them under each of your different components. I now have them under every piece of equipment except my Turntable. I have put them under my Teres TT battery supply and was more than a bit surprised in the improvement in detail and air.
.
The more resolving your system, the more improvement you will gain from the Rollerblocks.
.
Rgds,
Larry
. |
Hello, I have been following this thread for a while now and finally pulled the trigger and ordered a Chardonnay preamp from Mick a few weeks ago.Total time from my initial talk with Mick to the preamp arriving at my doorstep...one week! He says that is the norm now that he has some additional help . I was a little leary of buying something sight unheard and half way around the planet! (I"m in south florida).But big thanks to Raytheprinter and Allanbissett for allaying any such fears!This preamp replaced an aging audible illusions l1,and what a replacement! Everything Ray, Allan, and you guys said about the sonic qualities of this preamp are right on the money and then some! I have a friend that could care less about this high end stuff and was familiar with my sytem..well the first day I had it playing in the background as he passed by the room and the first thing he said was "sweet sound!" never had commented on my old system! lol Even my girlfriend is playing cd"s on the system more than ever.Well just thought I"d say hi and put my 2 cents in.....time to roll some tubes now! |
Oh,I forgot in my previous post to thank Slowhand for starting this amazing thread.Thanks dude ! |
Thanks Zarco,
I am really happy that so many people have enjoyed their Supratek products. I wish someone would get their Malbecs so I could hear some impressions of them. Zarco, that is amazing that you got got preamp in such a short time! Enjoy! |
WOW! one week turnaround time. i waited 8 months for my chardonnay way back when. still waiting on the word for the malbecs. last i heard, mick told ray it would be any day now. i'm going to disneyworld for a week starting tomorrow, so hopefully when i get back, i will have received "the email" from mick. |
Have a great time at Disney World Kgturner. Hopefully your new TOY will be on it's way to you soon. I waited 11 months for my Cortese! |
I was wondering if these new amps are supposed to be superior to the Burgandy amp that Mich used to manufacture. |
Baranyi,
I asked Mick the same thing. He says the new amps are better. |
Baranyi- Put me down as another that asked Mick the same thing. He said the Burgandies absolutely won't handle Apogee's,but the new amps will. He seemed more impressed with the construction of the new amps(of course). Probably the Mondeuse to be sure. He wasn't really impressed with the idea of changing the Red umbilical out either,in his words;"con job". Just repeating what the man said. |
Oh,BTW. Srajan over at 6 Moons just awarded the Cabernet Dual one of his "Best of 2006" awards. He remarks that it's;"The best he's heard yet". Way to go Mick(and helpers),well done!!!!!!!!!!
Just wish I could afford one. Oh well,someday....... |
Cello,
Are you using Symposium Rollerblocks under Supratek main unit or under both (main unit and power supply) ?
Are you placing balls directly under Supratek rubber feet ?
Regards |
Thanks for the responses about the Burgandy. I was wondering if anyone here has heard the double Cabernet that received the rave review. Bob |
Just replaced my Adcom GFP-750 with a used Supratek Chenin, going from a Âgiant killer to the Âpreamp of the centuryÂ, which is how these two units are written about. The rest of the system is a Musical Fidelity A5 player, Conrad Johnson MF2250 amp, Von Schweikert VR4-JR speakers, Acoustic Zen Satori Shotgun speaker wires, VH audio interconnects and a JPS labs digital power cord, VH Audio Flavor ? on preamp and CJ. Gadzooks what a difference in the bass, much tighter, more prominent. The soundstage opened up considerably, deeper and wider the digital glare is much reduced and IÂm hearing lots of new things on familiar recordings.
My only disappointment is the amount of Âsweetness in the midrange, would like some more of that. Three questions for my Supratek bretheren;
1) Any NOS tubes thatÂd exchange some bass response for more midrange sweetness?
2) what would be an appropriate level of turntable for this phonostage, I was thinking MMF7 or something in that strata  can I go for a less table like the MMF5 or would going up the food chain be the hot ticket?
3) the power supply tube is only an inch from the next shelf and the bottome of the shelf feels very warm to the touch. The rack is open on all sides. Cause for concern ?
Thanx much. |
Hello Richmon,
I am not much into tube rolling anymore, but I seem to remember owners saying the RCA gray glass 6sn7 had a sweet midrange. As for the phono stage, IT IS WORLD CLASS! This is what Mick's preamps are known for. Get the best analog setup you can and you will be rewarded in the sound. I am using a VPI Aries 2 EXTended with the VPI JMW 12.5 arm and a ZYX Yatra cartridge. KILLER SOUND! I also have a Modded Sony SCD-1 SACD player. It can't hold a candle to my analog setup. Mick's phono stage will also handle the lowest moving coil cartridge you can find with no trouble. Mine is .24mv and I have tons of gain. You have a preamp that is worthy of the best associated equipment.
Have Fun! |
.
Sorlowski,
.
I have the Rollerblocks placed under both the Pre-Amp and the Power Supply.
.
The Rollerblocks are placed in direct contact with the bottom plate of the boxes (not in contact with the rubber feet).
.
Rgds,
Larry
. |
My only disappointment is the amount of Âsweetness in the midrange, would like some more of that. Three questions for my Supratek bretheren;
1) Any NOS tubes thatÂd exchange some bass response for more midrange sweetness?
2) what would be an appropriate level of turntable for this phonostage, I was thinking MMF7 or something in that strata  can I go for a less table like the MMF5 or would going up the food chain be the hot ticket?
3) the power supply tube is only an inch from the next shelf and the bottome of the shelf feels very warm to the touch. The rack is open on all sides. Cause for concern ? 1.) Sylvania VT231 have a sweet midrange and less bass punch as well as RCA VT231 in my system. The EH 6SN7 though sounds wonderful as well and does not command the outrageous NOS tube prices. 2.) I would recommend a Teres table. Also, a Denon 103R while you are at it with a high mass arm. 3.) Although it will take an enormous amount of heat from the tubes to burn your shelf even at an inch away which is impossible to achieve with the 5AR4/5Y3 type tube, peace of mind is the thing that really matters here in the long run. cheers |
Richmon: With your concerns about heat, just stick a 4"x4" square double layer of aluminium tinfoil (shiney side out) under the shelf above your power supply tube, it should act as a heatshield. Since you have an open sided shelf, heat build up shouldn't be a problem.
Slowhand: I agree, the Supratek phono sections are a real gem! My turntable with Koetsu Rosewood cartridge murders my digital front-end consisting of Sony XA-7ES + Bel Canto DAC-2. Digital sound is nice when listened to in isolation, but just doesn't stand up to an A-B comparison against analogue...
Regards,
Steve M. |
Thanks for the feedback lads, hard to believe that the phono will be even better than the line output, Jimi Hendrix was in my living room last night, playing the 'experience Hendrix' CD remaster of Electric Ladyland. Found myself in the kitchen between CD's muttering to myself 'damn that sounded good, damn that sounded good' - if the LP playback gets even better, scarey to think what I'll be mumbling about next.
My concern about the heat build up around the power supply tube was more about tube life, not actual fire. |
Richmon,
I'm in a similar situation, as you are. I recently bought a new Chenin from Mick M., and wanted to share my impressions.
When you say:"amount of Âsweetness in the midrange, would like some more of that."- I'm not exactly sure what you meant, but what I'm hearing, is the slight emphasis in the presence region (voices especially).
It does make it sound very "alive", but on some recordings it becomes too forward, boardering on irritating.
Again, I like many things, that Chenin does excellently, but it defenitely will not let you " to sit back and relax", it requires your full attention.
And to me it's becoming a matter of personal preference in a sense what one expects from the listening session- relaxation or kind of an "analytical" and "wow" experience.
I should make a few reservations though:
My Chenin is new and likely is not broken-in fully
My source is digital (Modwright tubed Denon 3910)
And my impressions are of course relative to my previous pre-amp McIntosh C-45.
I would love to know if anybody else shares my impression of Supratek midrange?
Also, what tube(tubes) can make midrange to sound more "recessed" if you will. |
Hi everybody,
would you please advise on the Supratek Chenin? I own Quad ESL-57's (w/PK treble panels) driven by a refurbed Radford STA-25 MkIII (great combination imo). I (have to) listen nearfield. My current pre is a Precision Fidelity C-7a sp (w/step-up trannies for MC) and my cart is a ZYX Fuji silver (0.2 mV). I do like this set-up, but I have read so many good things about the Chenin and now I could get it used. Would you recommend the Chenin for my system? Some people indicate it is a bit forward sounding. While I slightly prefer relaxed and a bit laid-back to forward sound, wouldn't the Chenin's sound complement the laid-back character of the 57's?
Another question: through my current set-up each LP sounds very different, i.e. it is a relatively "neutral" system and I like that very much. Could it be that the Chenin has a too strong personality which would make LP's sound less different and so the system less "neutral"? I would appreciate fast responses very much.
Regards,
frankiealverti |
I have never found Supratek preamps to sound "forward" or "in your face". This is what I love about Mick's preamps, they are very good at conveying the music without adding to it. If the recording is bad, you will know it. If the recording is great, you will be in heaven.
If you guys are not listening to analog through your Supratek's, I highly recommend that you start. As good as the line stage is, the phono stage is the real gem. I am ALWAYS able to relax more when listening to LP's. They just have a more organic sound to them.
Maril555, I believe the "hard" sound that you are hearing must have to do with lack of break in. Remember, these preamps only get better with time. This is why so many people throughout the thread have recommended not tube rolling for the first 200 hours.
When I had my Syrah, I used to tube roll, but now that I have my Cortese, I just don't feel the need. It is fun to do for a while, but Mick tunes these preamps to the tubes he puts in them, and I trust his judgement. I own various 6sn7's, VT-231's, but what I use in the Cortese is EH 6sn7's. They sound great and you won't go broke buying tubes. |
Hi slowhand
Feet? Shun Mook. Experiment w/ them, around, here and there. Don't ask me why.
6 moons, sjaen (sp?) Good ears, a smattering too much Zen (capital "Z", is he listening?)
Koetsu? Of course...
Adcom to Supra. Good, hear that, but know that when a good part goes up it doesn't raise all boats. At first, yes, but, later, exposes other boats.
Supra upper mids/lower treb? Are people always working on that part? Ken Rad black glass 6SN7's? Hmmmm....Has anyone listened to how Kondo deals w/ upper mids/lower treb while still maintaining dynamics?
Interesting topic. |
Hi Slowhand,
thanks for the reply. Just one more question. I can see two small switches on the Chenin main chassis (front left and right). What are they good for?
Best,
frankiealverti |
Asa, could you elaborate on your statement regard. "upper mids/lower treble? People working on that part"? |
Frankiealverti - Those two switches are left/right gain switches, the choices are low gain or high gain. You can adjust the pre to match your power amp with these, additionally there's a gain dial on the back for further fine tuning of the gain. With my Connie J MF2250A I run the switches in the high setting, and the dial next to the highest setting sounds best to these ears.
This is a nice feature of the Supratek, the ability to fine tune the gain for best synergy with your amp. |
