Preamp Deal of the Century

Need to chime in with some feedback about my Sauv after a couple weeks: it is now really showing me what it can do. It is stunning me on everything now. Truly, I have the transparency I had with the TVC with a lot more body and dynamics where it counts. I have several vocal tracks that were my active preamp "torture test" - nothing else ever managed to avoid sounding veiled in comparison to the passive. Not the Sauv. It's just as revealing and better in the other ways mentioned. Still running the EH 6SN7s too. No regrets buying this piece unheard.

Paulfolbrecht or any other Audiogoners, the Sauvignon is the line stage version of the Cortese correct?

This product line is new to me.

Cost of this unit?

Does it have balanced XLR inputs?

If it does have XLR inputs how many sets?

It does offer balanced out correct?

Does Supratek have this specific pre in stock or is made on a ordered bases as they go?

The unit is remote controled correct?

What is the foot print size of each piece in inches?

When you orderd a unit how long does it take to receive?

Paulfolbrecht what is the associated equipement that you are using?

I have read that numerous people seem to have problems with noise from the power supply along with "microphonics" this really concerns me.

I don't want to even try this product if it is an issue.

What type of warranty do you get? and if there are problems with the product does the manufacture take care of it A.S.A.P.?

I received a email saying "I purchased a "Grange" and it did not work from the get go. It was weeks before "Mic" got back to me after numerous emails and phone calls, I finally spoke to Mic and refered me to take the unit to a local repair shop. With numerous trips back and forth to have the unit fixed ended up in frustration and in the end selling the unit and never even got refunded for the out of pocket money paid for the repairs."

This really disturbed me so I would like to hear from others.

Thanks

That second last paragraph on the Grange sounds totally fictitious to me and possibly contrived rubbish from another jealous manufacturer!

Firstly, why would anyone just abandon a new $9,000 Rolls Royce of a preamplifier (unless you're a millionaire)? And secondly, from my experience Mick Maloney's product back-up is second-to-none. He places customer satisfaction at the top of his list of priorities and generally drops everything to look after customers. This is backed up by dozens of supportive comments on this forum.

Certainly, my own Grange has been operating faultlessly for the last two years and sounds absolutely wonderful ...

Regards,

Can someone more familiar with this thread summarize what after market power chords are preferred with suprateks. I did a cursory check back into this monsterous thread with not much luck Can you guys give some examples of what folks are finding work particularily well with these preamps. I used a Gutwire C-clef with my chardonnay with great results and am going to be trying some shunyatas to see if it will take it up a notch.

Good listening

Don't buy a PC - buy a custom power-supply-to-chassis umbilical from Revelation. That's what counts (so I hear).

Paulfolbrecht,
I had chance to compare the Sauvignon and the Cabernet.I ended up buying the Cabernet 300b because I have been using Gainclone type power amps which sound superb but are a quite cold sounding.[pehaps just neutral]
I really loved the Sauvignon though.It is arguably more neutral than the 300b Cabernet-incredibly dynamic,clear and open and superb value for money.If I had warmer sounding power amps I would have selected the Sauvignon and saved a fair bit of money.
Rest assured you have made a brilliant purchasing decision.

I did want something very clean and neutral and the sauv is that. I run Consonance 845 SETs. This is a very nice combo. Soundstage has exploded over the passive TVC and it's still such a clean, transparent sound.

I didn't know the non-dual Cab was still made, though.

Dev,

I totally agree with Stevem1960. Mick is fantastic about taking care of his customers. No way it would take weeks for Mick to get back to someone with a problem. He is very quick to answer e-mails. This sounds very fishy and malicious to me. Countless people in this thread have bought Supratek preamps without ever hearing them and I know of NONE who were disappointed.

Arkio-
I have not tried the umbilical upgrade so can't comment. However,the cord to use earlier in this thread was the Moray James 1.5. Hard to find used,the latest 2.5 version is what I'm using presently on my Syrah. BWhite said that he could recommend the 2.5 as being either equal,or very nearly equal to the 1.5. That said,the 2.5 on my Syrah replaced a Black Sand Siver Reference III. Either one works great on a Syrah.
Hope this helps.

After extensive sampling, I gave up 'tuning' or tweaking with power cords after finding the Shunyata Helix series. They are detailed, fast and, most importantly, DEAD NEUTRAL. I have two dedicated circuits, thus a Hydra-2 and Hydra-4 and five 1 meter Taipan Helix Alpha PCs. This setup provides truly clean power and allows all of my equipment - including the Chenin - to perform at it's designed maximum. Caelin, Grant, and all the folks at Shunyata are extraordinarily knowledgeable, helpful, and accessible. Best price on their stuff is from The Cable Company (aka fatwyre.com).

Paulfobrecht,
I think I got the last of the 300b Cabernets.
I forgot to mention the speed of the Sauvignon.I used to use a Metaxas Marquis 2 preamp[SS] that was considered a reference point for speed[very short signal paths] but the Sauvignon was even faster,and in all other respects better.Most preamps,regardless of price or format sound smeared and sluggish by comparison,and yet many people have huge amounts of money tied up in systems without ever coming to understand how critical [and how scarce] a really good preamp is.

Hear you on that speed! Direct-coupling and short paths is where it's at. I do not know the technical details, but don't really understand why anybody makes non-direct-couple tube linestages as they seem to always have that slow, mushy sound in comparison.

Hi:

I have a question about 6922s. I was using Amperex White Label USA made in the phono section with good results, but one tube is now gone for good. What is the experience of those using the Chenin regarding the 6922 tube? Mick shipped my Chenin with a pair of Phillips, but I immediately replaced them with the Amperex. Any help will be greately appreciated. I am still waiting for my Malbecs. Pablo.

Still no further Malbec Impressions?

Pablo, there are alot of good phono tubes out there.

I'm using Amperex 7308 PQ white label, which are pretty hard to find now. But, see my 1/19 post in this thread on some Russian NOS 6HN23-EB's that are only $90 for a matched pair cryo'd and VERY close to being as good as the 7308. Call The Cable COmpany and ask for John (he's a totally tube knowledgeable sales person).

Best regards,

shindo, nothing can touch it for the price, untill you hear this line of pre amps, dont even look at anything else. c-js cant even come close to it

Just fired up my Syrah with a pair of Audiopax 88s.
To anyone who reckons valve amps are noisy - I cannot believe this combo. With no signal passing it's so quiet I thought it was dead - astonishing.
Not the place to post my thoughts on Pax Vs. Pass so I'll pass on that.
Question to save me trailing the thread- anyone tried a Mullard GZ 37 in the Syrah psu?
Very happy with my current GZ 34 but have bought an older custom Supratek (sort of cross between a Syrah/Cortese)and want to put cheaper tubes in the Syrah before moving it on.
Thanks Simon

Hi Simon. The Mullard GZ-37 works well in the Syrah and should sound better than the stock sovtek.

Hi Ecclectique,
thanks for that, I'm using a Mazda branded Mullard Gz 34(probably paid too much for it) but I have the chance of some Gz 37s at sensible prices hence my question.
Using a pair of grey glass coke bottle type sylvania 6L6GAs - never seen these mentioned - they are lovely tubes, way better than my TungSol 5881s
Cheers Simon

Hi Simon. Your Mazda labelled Mullard gz34 would be the one to keep as it not only sounds better but will last for many years to come. In my experience.... the gz37 will need to test near 100% and be tightly matched on both sides to get the best performance from it....It is only marginal if not. Yup...the sylvania 6L6ga black glass is a very good sounding tube and much sought after by the guitar amp crowd. I think most of old stock 6L6 tubes sound considerably better than the tungsol 5881 however few are as robust.

Had to make a post about the Pope 6SN7s Kevin Deal sold me. Ok, I have not compared them to other NOS tubes yet but they are waay above the EHs. I let the EHs go for 100 hours or so to see what they could do, and of course the unit sounded great with them, but these popes are so much more refined and less "harsh". It is like a new preamp. I was hoping for a little difference but not expecting this. One hour so far, every track sounds better. Smoother... more musical.

On the subject of power cords...I have had a power cord,the "Source", from DCCA Audio burning in on my Chardonnay for a few weeks now.MY impressions so far? It has the same qualities as I noticed upon first inserting my Chardonnay into the system.Increased resolution,dynamics,musicality,truth in timbre etc.What this cord really excells at is a non fatiguing presentation, the recreation of a live event,a major upgrade in my opinion.I"ve used several other cords such as Electraglides,Cardas,Tice, Groneberg,Nordost Valhalla...none of these even came close to what the DCCA can do.These are fairly reasonably priced and can be home auditioned. The one fault of these cables? They are stiff as hell! Very large cords that might not fit all apllications

Thank you very much Ikkyu2 for the information. I already bought a pair of the Russian tubes and I am testing them right now. Still waiting for my Malbecs. Pablo.

I contacted Mick yesterday with some questions and he responded back right away, answered all of my questions.

I have ordered a Cortese line stage (Sauvigon) suppose to get it in aprox. 6 weeks. So far he has proven wrong the people who have emailed me with negatives. Still have a ways to go though but my experience so far is positive.

Will post my further experiences down the road.

Anyone out there own a Sauvigon? What did you replace, whats you system consist of.

Thanks for the advice Tvad but this is going in my second system not my main so no phono set-up.

I just finished booking a room in Denver for the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. I hope some of you guys will be able to come to it. I would love to meet you in person.

Are Suprateks 'hard' on tubes? How many hours can you get on a strong set of 6sn7 tubes? A good Rectifier (metal base)? With the high cost of 350b tubes, what is its liftime as a regulator? Mick's info suggests 10,000 hours. Is this playing out in the field?

Tubes last an incredibly long time. I've had a Syrah for about 8 years and have gone through one rectifier and one set of 6SN7's.

When people mention reliability they need to realise that no product is likely to have a perfect record.
A recent discussion on another NG [aus hi fi] gave figures for Marantz amplifiers from the 1970s.Even the most reliable still had 0.5% failure rates.Other models had 63% and 100%!And this was from an era of Japanese production famous for its quality control.
What we need to remember is that hard wired amplifiers have an excellent reputation for reliability compared to those using printed circuit boards-and even if a component or a solder joint fails it is a relatively cheap and easy thing to repair.

Any feedback from the recent purchasers of the Revelation umbilical ?

Just wondering if it's a worthwhile upgrade. Thanks.
So far my Chenin tweaks have been Sovtek KT-66's, Ken Rad 6SN7GT's and a Mullard 6106 rectifier along with Herbies nickel tube rings. For a $300 total investment, it's been worth every penny, sonic bliss.

Richmon-
I hope to post my thoughts on the Revelation upgrade once I have some time with it. It takes Brad some time to get them out as each is custom made to order. It makes sense that it would be an improvement. The stock umbilical (too long, not that well shielded), seems like a possible entry point for noise....

I have an umbilical cord from Brad. I had him make a 1 meter for my Chardonnay and it has been in my system for about 2 weeks now. It's been breaking in and I have done some listening on the weekends, My initial response is that the music seems to be smoother overall with less glare. The back ground also seems a bit blacker. I can say also say that Brad's service was absolutley Top Notch. He was great to deal with and always kept me in the loop during the build process. No regrets on getting the cord.

sorry to be a nay sayer but I think Mick is pretty honest in regard to the psu unit needing to be spaced from the pre.
I think a 0.5 mtr cord will mean that the proximity of the psu to the pre will introduce enough crap to nullify the lead.
So it's $169 for a lead a third of the length specified by the guy who designed it, what does it cost for one that gives the thing room to work as designed?
way too much I imagine

1 meter is a little over 3 ft, about the length of the stock umbilical (at least on my unit). A 1 meter length from Revalation is 269.00. If I do the math, .5 meter is about half the length of the stock, not a third. I agree though, that Mick designs with specifics in mind, including the length of the umbilical.

I might have gotten mine prior to a price increase as I paid $219 for my 1 meter. I bought the 1 meter so when my cabinet gets built I can move the units further apart but I don't seem to be having any issues even though the PU is right next to the pre. Even at the 269 price I would say it is worth the purchase....With the amount of products that is available my money always goes to the guy that is all about service. One of the main reasons why I bought from Mick as well......both of these guys are outstanding.

Ooslik - or anyone using the Revelation umbilical, can we get a bit more of a description of what this thing does in lieu of the stock umbilical. All I have read so far is "its worth the cost", someone mentioned "smoother sound" and "transformed my Chardonnay". Can we get some more speicifics or are the changes to subtle to describe. $269 is not alot of money but it would be nice to get a bit more of description - I'm pretty sure Mick has thought about the quality of his umbilical on these units and knows what works best (?) So for subtle changes... it might be a bust.

cheers and good listening

Agreed my schedule has been really out of wack and I have not devoted the needed time to listen and let it break in. It's realy been a couple of Saturday afternoons for a couple of hours at a time.....but I should be able to post something a bit later.

I have Chenin. My came with Mullard M8081 tube. I cannot get this tube anywhere. I have asked Mike, he told me to use 6J6. I have tried CBS 6J6 (1959). What a difference, unfortunately for worse. So went back to M8081. So what are valid; possibly better-equal replacement for Mullard M8081 (6J6).
When one buys tubes for Supratek (except 6L6) all are double triodes, and Mike said that Supratek uses both sections.
Is it possible to buy matched pair with all four section matched ?

i'm not real familiar with the tubes in the phono section of supratek's so take all this with a grain of salt. from what i can gather, the M8081 is the same as a CV4031. i tried searching a few sites for both and came up with nil. however, there is a person in switzerland selling 31 CV4031's for $60 on eBay right now. it's not my auction. it was all i could find on short notice. good luck in your hunt.

Kgturner,
How are your Malbecs sounding? Over time, has their sound changed during break-in?

powers:

the malbecs sound very open and dynamic. the best way i can describe them is they are a bridge between tubes and solid state. taking all the positives of each and very little (if any) of the negatives.

Kgturner:

I am glad you are enjoying the Malbecs. I am still waiting for mines. I have a question for you: what happened with the buzzing you were experiencing when you got the Malbecs? Thanks, Pablo.

pablo:

the buzz is still present, but it may have more to do with the booster amp in the dB99's than the actual malbec amplifiers.

Thank you very much for the rapid answer. Pablo.

Hello Kgturner,

Hi Kevin, I hope you were not affected by the tornado's that hit the south last week. I could not remember if you lived in Alabama or Florida. Let us know if you are alright.

tom:

thanks for the kind words. i live in mobile, alabama. enterprise is about 180 miles northeast of here. the weather was definitely bad and we were under a tornado watch for most of the day, but i don't think a tornado was ever spotted around here. typically, the biggest worry around here is hurricanes. only three more months until the start of the 2007 atlantic hurricane season!

Hi Kevin,

Glad to you that you and your family are ok. I feel sorry for thoses that were affected by the tornado's.

Hello Kgturner where in mobile are you? I live in Daphne and work in Mobile.