The Audio fest was fantastic! I can't wait to go again next year. I have never seen so much audio equipment in one place. All the exhibitor's were very friendly and accommodating. I was asked if I had music that I wanted to hear in every room I went in. I made some great new friends there. The seminar's were very interesting too. I went to one given by Roy Gregory of Hi Fi+ on proper analog setup. It was a very eye opening experience. I also attended one on mastering of records given by Bernie Grundman. That was a real treat. Bernie has a new record label called Straight Ahead Records. I ended up buying all 3 LP titles that he had. The artists and the recording quality are top notch. I highly recommend them. Check them out at straightaheadrecords.com I heard the Podium speakers that Mick thought would be a great match for the Supratek's. The model 1's had shipping damage, so I heard the model .5's. I was not impressed. I have talked to Mick since returning from the show, and he said the pair he got had some shipping damage too. Apparently, these are not very well packed. He was able to play them, and he too was disappointed in the sound. This show is very consumer oriented and I highly recommend going. BE SURE TO READ MY NEXT POST. I HAVE VERY BIG NEW FOR ALL SUPRATEK OWNERS AND POTENTIAL OWNERS! |
BE SURE TO READ MY NEXT POST. I HAVE VERY BIG NEW FOR ALL SUPRATEK OWNERS AND POTENTIAL OWNERS! come on, tom. don't leave us hanging. especially as i'm still waiting on a cabernet. |
I have BIG news for all Supratek owners. I spoke with Mick Maloney after returning from the Rocky Mountain Audio Fest. Mick told me that he will be attending the RMAF next year as an exibitor! He will have a full room of Supratek amps and preamps. I am hoping that as many Supratek owners as possible will be able to attend. This is our chance to meet the guy that has put a permanent smile on so many of our faces and to thank him in person! I wanted to give everyone plenty of advance notice so you can set time aside to attend. I for one would like to buy Mick a drink or take him to dinner, and I am hoping that many of you would like to do the same. This would be a great opportunity for all of us Supratek guys to get together. The RMAF takes place next year on October 10, 11, 12 2008 at the Marriott Tech Center Hotel. I will keep averyone informed as to when you can start making reservations. Please try to attend if possible. It is a ton of fun and with Mick there, that would be the icing on the cake! |
Well gang, I have to say that I am surprised at the lack of response to my announcement about Mick telling me he will be at the 2008 RMAF. I would have thought that many of you would like to have a chance to meet Mick in person, but it looks like I may be wrong. I had such a good time at the RMAF this year that I had made up my mind that I wanted to attend next year, but with Mick announcing that he is going to be there, I am making my reservations as soon as I can. |
Slowhand:
i would love to go, but, even a year in advance, i don't think i'll be able to make the trip due to more pressing financial obligations. did mick say who he may team up with in regard to source/speaker/cabling? on his end, i assume he'll be bringing the grange, dual cab, mondeuse, and malbec at the very least. |
Slowhand-
I've gone to RMAF three years running now. As soon as I saw your post I called the Marriott and reserved my room for next year.
I am looking forward to meeting Mick in person. |
I'll be back to RMAF next year for sure as well. Auditioning Supratek will be one more reason to attend. . . by the way, It was great to meet you in Denver Slipknot1! Guido |
I made my reservations for the RMAF next year. We should make a Supratek badge to wear so we recognize each other at the fest. Maybe we can get Mick to host a private listening session in his Supratek room after the show closes for the day on Friday or Saturday. |
Slowhand,Just tuned in after my last post here.I'm going to try my best to make it next year.It would be great to meet some of you guys.With Mick attending next years show I don't imagine he will want to ship his amps and pres back to The Land Down Under.Hmmm? a new pair of mono amps. Too bad about the Podium speakers,makes you wonder about the reveiw at 6 Moons.Anyway Slowhand can you tell us more about the show? what was the hight light for you? |
I think the real highlight for me was getting to meet so many people in the industry. I met Thom Makrus of Galibier Turntables. He invited me up to his listening room on Saturday night along with a few other people and we spun LP's from 7:30 to 10:00 PM. It was great. On Friday, Duke LeJeune of AudioKinesis invited me over after the show closed for the night to hear his Jazz Module speakers. That was a blast. I also met Jim Hagerman of Hagerman Technology and Allan Bhagan (I may have spelled his last name wrong). Allan is David Berning's right hand man. Allan was showing David's new $30,000 monoblocks (killer sound). I also had the pleasure of meeting Ralph Bagge of Artisan Audio. Ralph is the designer of the Artisan tonearm that Thom Makrus is using on his new Serac turntable. Price of the table, arm, and cartridge is about $4000 and it sounded very close to Thom's more expensive table. I heard the strain gauge cartridge in the Soundsmith room. Beautiful sound. The M-A Records room was using a 10 year old Sony cd player to demo their cd's. It was a very interesting design that was never imported to the USA. The designer of the player was there. He was an elderly Japanese gentleman who spoke no English. There were 2 younger Japanese gentlemen there with him to translate for him. He was very interesting to talk to.
There is so much to see. I was there on Friday and Saturday (we had to fly back home on Sunday). I hope to be able to stay for all 3 days next year. You really need all 3 days to see everything. I only ran into one other Supratek owner (docsavage). He is a very nice guy. We were in Thom Makrus's room together for the vinyl party.
We really need to make firm plans to have all the Supratek guys meet up at the show. You think you will run into each other, but it does not seem to happen because of all the people and the fact that the show is spread out.
I did want to mention that although there are many people there. I never had a problem getting into any of the rooms. The fact that the show is spread over many floors helps. I hope this convinces many of you to go. I really want to meet all of my Supratek friends next year. |
Slowhand,
If you have already posted your speaker impressions, I missed them. I am in the market. Could you please tell me what you heard that impressed you and what disappointed you.
Thanks,
Warren |
The following speakers impressed me. The Audiokinesis Dream Maker at $9000 a pair was very nice, but the Jazz Module at $4500 a pair seemed like a great buy.The Jazz Module has 92db efficiency, 32Hz to 17.5 kHz and is tube friendly. The Studio Electric T3 speakers sounded great. They listed at $8000 a pair. I also heard some monitor speakers in the Soundsmith room that blew me away. Fantastic sound in a small box. I don't remember the model, but they are on the Soundsmith website. For cost-no-object the Proclaim DMT-100 was very impressive. You can see them at proclaimaudioworks.com 3 round balls that set on a aluminum alloy stand. Price $26,000! I am sure there were more, but I don't remember them right now. |
Hi to all Supratekies ...
About 4 years and a couple thousands posts back I bumped into this thread and was grabed by the enthusiast, knowdledge and camaradery of most of it's posts to the extent that I read throughout the whole thing, when still it was somewhat feasible to do ...
At some point mid through it I decided that it was worth the risk so I became a Supratek owner. Now on my third unit, a full 6SN7 Grange, I am happier than ever that I came aboard Mick's train, not only for the sonic and visual attributes of it's products but for the quality of Mick's support.
Several months ago I read Fiddler's post about the V-caps and Dact attenuator. I had in my agenda some minor mods. I needed to do in my unit like adding a 2nd. phono input and changing some loading values on the phono stage to better fit my cartridges. I was able to find a local technician with a long tube expertise and plenty of high-end sensibility. After discussing the project with Mick and following his advise and considering all his words of caution I went ahead with it.
I ended up changing the output caps, in my case a pr. of 9uf 200v Auricaps for 6.8uf OIMP V-Caps and the 2 phono stage .56uf Auricaps for teflon .68uf V-Caps. Mick approved the value changes. In the case of the output caps I was forced to go with the oils (OIMP) from the V-Caps because the teflon's value (and price) were not available. After studying the V-Caps site and a couple of emails with Chris Ven Haus and considering the much lower price of the OIMP I went with them. I also changed the Alps for the DACT attenuator.
To this point I have put short of 200 hrs. on the unit. I can tell you without any doubt that this has been the greatest improvement from a modification to my system I have experienced. The improvement in clarity and detail is very notable but also in weight, punch and air without any detriment to the tonality of the presentation. In my case both changes(capacitors and volume control) were done at the same time so cannot separate their individual contributions.
The Teflon V-Caps cost was $314 and the OIMP were $112; the DACT was $190, pluss the corresponding shipping and about $100 for the whole labor. To me it was very much worth it.
I would also ask the tube experts on this thread about a rectifier substitution. I am considering a Western Electric 422A NOS which I am told can be a sustitution for the GZ32/5AR4 rectifier used by this unit. Is this a valid substitute? Any comment as to it's sonic attributes? Not a cheap alternative, so any comment will be greatly appreciated.
Keep in touch.
|
I am reporting on hearing the Monduese amplifiers.
I have always wanted a pair of Gale 401 chrome speakers for my second system.I am also a furniture designer and in my opinion they are the most lovely looking speakers ever built and very designer collectable.I remember hearing these in my youth powered by monster Accuphase power amps and Linn Sondek turntables.After many years of searching I managed to get a pair but they required a complete refurbishment including new woofer surrounds and spiders.I managed to get NOS midranges from Madisound and installed these too.
Now these have to be one of the most demanding of speakers to drive to their potential.They are low impedence and have highly damped sealed boxes.Many 200 watt RMS transistor amps really struggle to drive them.Furthermore they really don't sound that great with SS amps-which is what most people are forced to use.The bass quality in these when driven by such amps is exceptionally detailed and tight however.They are indeed famous for the quality and accuracy of their bass.
With a decent tube amp they can sound really magic though.They open up in a way that would make you doubt you are listening to the same speaker.Unfortunately the bass quality tends to suffer[the old story but magnified with these particular speakers].
With the Monduese they sound superb right across the sectrum.I have heard many Gales before but they have never sounded like what I heard with the Monduese.I would rank this as one of the very best sounds I have heard.They go from good to really great.
It beggars this question.If they can do this for a 30 year old speaker[albeit one of the best and most modern sounding of the vintage speakers],then what can they do for modern hi end speakers that are a difficult load ?
In am surely tempted to buy a pair of these and put the Gales in my "good" system with my Cabernet preamp. |
here's a dumb question:
how do i call mick? i have never made an international call. from what i gather, i dial 011 61 8 97572639 or 011 61 8 97579786. which of these numbers is the best number? i can't really tell if one is a fax number from his website info.
before you say it, i already know that mick is 13 hours ahead of my time zone so i will call at an appropriate hour.
thanks. |
Anyone started tube rolling their Cabernet Dual yet ? |
Has anyone tried any of Mick's preamps with the Class D amps? Specifically, the Cabernet Single with the Spectron Musician III SE? |
Hi, I've used the Cortese & Grange preamps with Nuforce; Bel Canto; eAR; Panasonic and ICE based digital amps. Sounds good with all of them. Valves bring a certain dimension, body and lushness to the party that helps the slightly cool-neutral sound of digital amps.
Regards,
Steve |
There is an excellent new review of the Sauvignon in Australian Hi Fi November/December edition.
Edgar Kramer is the reviewer and his review is spot on in my estimate.This bloke really knows how to listen.
Nice to see that they measure very well too.
Mr Kramer ends up buying the Sauvignon to use as his new reference. |
Hi Seadogs1, I have a Spectron Musician III paired with a Sauvignon with V-caps and it is a match made in heaven. I have the non SE version but, I'm sending the unit to John for the SE upgrade. I'll post my impressions when I get it back. The combo sounds so nice now, I'll be surpised if it sounds alot better. |
Does anyone have a second source for the 101D tubes used in the Cabernet Dual and Single? |
Try Aydn
http://www.aydn.com/product_info.php?products_id=180 |
Just wondering if anyone has used the genuine Bendix 6106 on the Cabernet Dual or similar. I've got 2 of these lying around but want to ensure nothing blows up. They worked quite well on my previous Sauvignon.
Thanks |
Earlier, I have asked a question about the output impedance of the Chardonnay. I got my answer from Mick himself - it's about 200 ohms. Just in case someone might want to know. |
Clipsal,Iv'e been using the Bendix 6106 in my power supply for my Chenin going on three years.It's a great inexpensive rectifier that I found works just as good or better then the famed Philips MiniWatt metal base gz-34.To be safe I would shoot Mick an e-mail about using the 6106 in your Cabernet Dual... |
I've spoken to Mick about using the Bendix, he said the voltages are a little different. He said the safer bet is the Mullard GZ34 |
I have a question for Supratek owners who have upgraded from a Chard to a Sauv or even up to the Cabernet, how much of a % improvement did you find , and specifically in what ‘sonic’ areas did you find it , ie more air, transparency , sound stage, instrument separation, musicality etc . The reason I ask is I am looking at upgrading to a new CDP from a approx now 3K (4 year old CDP) to a new 7K unit.. Would I be better going with the better CDP or upgrading my Chard to say the Cabernet and putting off the CDP upgrade for now. Whats the bigger bang for the buck as it were from your experiences. Would love to do both but can only swing one for now.
Also the Chard I have now I absolutely love and can’t imagine things getting too much better.
Sorry if this has been covered before in this 3000+ thread. I did a cursory search but did not find specifics.
Thanks and good listening |
Arkio,
You can simply replace the coupling caps with V-Caps and replace the stock pot with a DACT and you will be amazed at the improvement in your Chard. It ain't subtle!
I would love to compare my stock Chard to a stock Sauv or a Cab. I suspect it may be closer than you would expect for the price difference.
Now if the Sauv or Cab had V-Caps and a DACT as well, I'm sure it would be no contest. |
Oops, I mistakenly said my "stock Chard."
I should have said, my Chard with V-Caps, Dact and wired from the RCA input, by-passing the selector switch, straight to the DACT using gold alloy wire. |
Fiddler, I am thinking of doing the mod too. Can you provide more information about the V-cap and DACT mod?
For the DACT, did you use CT1 or CT2? 2 decks? Which resistance value to use? Is it difficult to change? |
Ethifi,
I used the CT2 (stereo) - 100K Ohm
http://www.dact.com/html/attenuators.html
It is not really hard to install. You will have to use a file to make a small slot in the attenuator hole of the Supratek chassis. The DACT has a small ear on the side of it to lock it in place in the chassis. As I recall, I think all I had to do to get the DACT to fit was to file a notch in the side of the hole for the DACT ear to fit through. I don't think I had to enlarge the hole, but I can't remember for sure. Either way, it wasn't really hard.
The soldering was rather straight forward. You simply need to make sure you solder the right leads to the right pins. Very little soldering to do, just take your time and be careful. The DACT pins seem somewhat fragile.
The only downside to the 100K Ohm attenuator is I can only turn the DACT up 2 or 3 clicks before things get too loud for my 98db speakers. However, I am changing speakers to a much less efficient speaker so the problem will be a non-issue soon. |
Fiddler, thanks for sharing. In your opinion, which of the two upgrades (V-CAP or DACT) make a greater sonic improvement?
Thanks |
Ethifi,
There is no doubt that the`V-Caps made the biggest difference. However, I did the DACT first and months later did the V-Caps, so I am sure I heard more of the V-Caps due to the added clarity of the DACT. Had I done the V-Caps first maybe the difference wouldn't have been so great. But in the order I did the mods, the V-Caps made a huge difference. |
Does anyone have the gain specs on the Chardonnay? I've seen a value of 20 something somewhere??
Thanks |
Mick wrote me in Nov that "... Gain is from 5 to 25dB depending on switch." The master switch at the back of the preamp controls the amount of gain from 5 to 25 dB. |
Fiddler,
What value did you use for the V-Caps? |
the Dodd AUdio DC-Battey powered Vacuum tube preamp is better than any $7k or under preamp I compared this to .Being run purely on 4 small gel cell batterys I get over 18 hours of use before I have to turn it off for a few hours to recharge which takes about 4 hours,being a direct feed to the amp it is a dead quiet background with far superior inner detailwithout all the power supplys and gain stages and noise to deal with.There is only 1 High quality capacitor to deal with in the signal path .I have owner a Cat ultimate signature , Conradjohnson
premier 17, this bettered it in allmost every aspect and at 1/2 the cost .This latest version is even better in the Bass now that all 4 batterys are run in series . The life span for batterys is about a 3 year average and only $65 to replace. |
I've got a 1 m length Revelation Audio Labs CryoSilver Reference umbilical power cable for my Chardonnay which is now unfortunately too short for my new rack. Last I heard 1 m for this is now $269.
Mine's in perfect condition, used only for the last 6 months. I'm going to get a longer one. Asking for $199 obo.
If anyone's interested, shoot me an email. |
Audiophile 1958,
Did you have a chance to make a direct comparison against Supratek? How does Dodd compare in the area of dynamics, one of the Supratek's strong suites? |
Audiophile 1958,
Is the Dodd preamp a linestage only pre? |
Hello Slowhand the Dodd is a linestage only ,and
because it is pure Dc coupled the Dynamics too are outstanding Hifidelityaudiogave me a money back guarantee
if I was not happy after 45 days which was plenty of time to run it in .I was serious when I said nothing in the $7k range or under topped it for overall naturalmness and musicality.
My freinds big Cary was over $8kand is no where near as clear. |
I think one of the Supratek owners, posting in this thread, purchased Dodd to compare it with Supratek, and Dodd was up for sale in about a week.
Whoever you are- REVEAL YOURSELF NOW!!! |
Maril555
Noticed you have your Cortese up for sale here. You mention in your add you bought another preamp, can you share what you found better then the Supratek ? Just curious as I am in an upgrade mode too...but I am thinking of going up the Supratek chain.
Good listening. |
Sure,
I bought Nick Doshi ALAAP preamp, which sells for $10000.
(Mk. II is $12000)
So it makes it twice as expensive, than Cortese, but it's defenitely not twice as good. In essense, it just serves music in a different way, and it is strictly a matter of personal preference.
There are aspects of Supratek performance, that are better, than Doshi ( I think it is somewhat more dynamic), but like everything in audio, every advantage has a flip side.
I was waiting for it (Doshi) to show up for sale for quite a while, and it happened almost at the same time, as I took delivery of Cortese, so I decided to try something different.
So again, I cannot say conclusively which one is the better preamp, I think Doshi serves my current system and my current taste better, than Supratek. |
Are the Malbec owners happy? Are you using EL34? KT88? |
my malbecs are sitting in the closet, boxed up, and waiting to be returned as a trade towards a cabernet. they've been sitting there for close to 10 months at this point. they had a horrible buzz which emanated from my tweeters that i could never get rid of. not some quiet buzz, but a buzz that could be heard at my listening position almost 11 feet away. no other amp i have used since then has ematated the same buzz so i can only believe it is a problem with my pair of malbecs. i can only hope other malbec owners had better luck than i did. |
Hello,
I am trying to integrate an HT processor with my Supratek Syrah. I would like to control the HT volume through the processor, so that the Syrah's volume control doesn't affect the HT. In other words, a "HT Bypass" type functinoality.
My Syrah only has a tape loop. "Tape Rec" and "Tape Play". I have tried running the HT Proc. L/R pre-outs into both of these (and I toggled the tape-loop switch on the Syrah), but the Syrah volume control always seems to be in effect.
Is there any way to set this up to do what I'm looking for? |
goatwuss:
i think the best you can do is plug your ht processor into an unused input on the syrah. when you want to use your ht, switch the syrah to the input your processor is on and turn the volume on the syrah up to 12 o'clock. this way you can use your ht processor's volume control, but mostly you'll be using it to attenuate the volume of the signal. i can't think of any way you can do without the syrah's volume control being in the signal path. |
Kgturner - Thanks for the reply. Would it be an easy modification to change the tape loop into an HT bypass? |
goatwuss:
i can't honestly answer that. contact mick and see what he thinks. if you live in the USA, you could ship it to kevin covi in NY if it's doable. |
