Gene
Per Mick
Both units measure 340x 340x 175 mm or 13.5x 13.5 x 7 inches
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On mine that knob is on the right but it is the balance control. The sensor is just barely sticking out the bottom in the center from the chassis. You would have to look real close to see it which you can't from that photo. The knob in the center back is gain and the two switches are manual mute and one defeats the gain control. |
Tubes can be microphonic not the gear. |
@aldnorab
As to the different finishes the only differences are the cost and the fact that in the current supply chain environment the copper/chrome finishes will result in what could be a much longer wait time. I prefer the black chassis finish anyway so I have one with a black case and one with the Jarrah wood case. They don't sound any different. The Supratek's will be my last preamp and all the others will eventually be for sale. Would love to hear Aric's take on the 6SN7 preamp but not going to buy one just for an audition.
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About four days but that was pre-Covid and everything has changed. |
The CBS/Hytron 5692 is a pretty good reasonably neutral tube. I roll a pair through the Chardonnay periodically. |
Here's my two cents from owning the Chardonnay for a little over a month and the BHK for over two years plus having several friends that have owned the Micro-Zotl preamps. First from every report I have heard from owners I know the LTA is on the cooler side of neutral. In my system using the BHK amp the Chardonnay has easily beaten the BHK preamp in terms of tone and sound staging from the time it came out of the box. If someone is having a problem with the Supratek preamps in terms of "drive" then they need to check the rake angle on their speakers and turn the gain on the preamp up. My BHK preamp is going up for sale as no matter how good it is it can't keep up with the Chardonnay and I can only imagine what the Cabernet would bring to the table. |
If you don't need the phono stage then the Cortese isn't in the mix. The difference between the Chardonnay, which I own, and the Cabernet seems to be mostly in the power supply. For now I see the Chardonnay as being my final preamp. I have enough "top level" NOS tubes for it to last for decades. |
Mine was definately opened by customs. |
@aldnorab
Your best bet for ordering a Chardonnay is to contact Mick directly through the e-mail address listed on the website. Due to the time difference he will get back to you within 24 hrs. and you can discuss your purchase directly. I just was in contact today about buying a Cabernet to upgrade from my Chardonnay.
The Chardonnay has two knobs and two switches on top of the control unit. Front right is a knob for balance and rear right is for gain adjustment. The two switches in the rear center are for mute and turning the gain adjustment on and off.
Per my discussion with him today the lead time is 3-4 months due to Covid supply chain issues. Again contact him directly for concrete answers to any questions you have.
I have used the Chardonnay with six different amps including two tube amps and it doesn't care what kind of amp is on the other end. Just adjust the gain on the preamp to match the needs of the amps
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@aldnorab
Supratek preamps are certainly not thin or analytical and you can make minor adjustments to then tone by changing the two 6SN7 tubes and upgrading the supplied rectifier tube depending on what he is using these days. The Cabernet will get you a better power supply unit and a general parts upgrade but not a real difference in overall tone. I am completely happy with my Chardonnay but since I was going to buy a second Supratek to compare against the Don Sachs at a second house I decided to go up the chain.
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@highstream
Gene, how much longer have you got to wait yet. Just pulled the trigger so I've got a while to go but will just use the Sachs in that system in the meantime.
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@aldnorab
Congrats on your purchase. Of the two that just sold did you buy the black face unit or the older silver face unit with the gain controls?
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I think the dual gain controls are a big advantage and wish mine had them. The fixed 18db gain on the newer models gain can be a bit much with many amplifiers if using higher efficiency speakers. In the combination I use mine in the AVA amp has a high input sensitivity of 2.5 volts and the Rosso Fiorentino speakers are only 88 db so it works out fine.
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@pesky_wabbit
He was using powered ATC's so yes preamp direct to the speakers.
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If you have two different power supplies that hum exactly alike then your issue is either power or grounding related. Try lifting one at a time the ground on the preamp and the amp. What amp are you using the Supratek with? |
Brad is supposed to make great cables but from what I have heard on other forums pay no attention to his promised delivery times as they are mostly make believe. |
All of Mick's remotes are 3rd party so just get a simple one you like and get the setup code from him. $10 or so on Amazon. |
@aldnorab
If your talking about the RAL umbilical it does make a very positive difference and Brad will make it the length you need. I've got one for the Chardonnay and will get one for the Cabernet when it arrives.
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When I talked with him over the weekend he was going to have minor surgery on Monday so out of pocket for a few days.
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Sounds like the input switch was in the wrong position of faint sound was coming through.
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@aldnorab
I've owned a Chardonnay for going on three years, the latest Sachs for almost two years and a Cabernet 8SN7 for just a couple of months. The Cabernet and Chardonnay at this time are in different house in different systems in different states so haven't had a chance to do a side by side comparison yet. Going off of my experience with the Chardonnay versus the small time I've spent with the Cabernet my take on the differences between the two are that the Chardonnay is a smoother more comfortable classic tube sound while the Cabernet is a more lively sound more to the neutral side. I guess some people would say that equals more dynamic but it's just different. They are different circuit designs and as the Cabernet gets more hours on it some of it's characteristics may change slightly but don't think it will ever be as "warm" sounding as the Chardonnay. It will come down to what you are looking for and how you think it will fit with your current or future equipment. One clear advantage I have found though with both Supratek's over the Sachs is with the tubes. Tubes that are unacceptable to me in the Sachs in terms of noise play fine in the Supratek units. Also the options of either balanced or SE outputs and adjustable gain are an important factor to me as I tend to swap amps around.
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@aldnorab
I only had a chance to listen to the Cabernet for about 10 days in the SC system before I had to leave town so no where near broken in at less than 75 hours. But based on that brief listen to it in the same system the Sachs was in and almost three years of the Chardonnay if nothing else changed the Cabernet would be closer in "sonic signature". That as you know can be varied a bit with tubes but not but so much. I could easily live with either one but my curiosity got the best of me.
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@aldnorab
If you own or plan on owning an amp whose input sensitivity is a good match for the current Sachs preamps 18db gain then it is a fine preamp. If you like to swap amps around or don't know what you may be drawn to in the future then the Supratek's adjustable gain gives it the edge on that front plus the balance control. To my ears though in both of my systems there is just something different about the Supratek sound that just draws me into the music differently. Though their character may be slightly different it applies to both models I own. The greater flexibility with the increasingly more expensive 6SN7 tubes is just a bonus.
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It was my understanding that if you have a Cabernet Dual you can only have adjustable gain on one of the two output tubes. Either 6SN7 or 300B but not both.
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What speakers are you doing to be driving? I own both a Cabernet and a Chardonnay and have used at least a half dozen different amps. Also price limit if any?
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@tksteingraber
Take a look at the Van Alstine SET 500 or the Kinki EX-M7.
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@aldnorab
The Chardonnay is a more "classic/romantic" tube sound while the Cabernet is more neutral to my ears. Your Sachs, which I also still have sitting around, is somewhere in the middle but closer to the Cabernet. Either of the Supratek's are easier to match with amps due to the gain adjustments as opposed to the Sachs' fixed 18db gain.
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@aldnorab
No not at all like that and you can change the character of the Chardonnay quite a bit depending on the tubes you pick. Another benefit is it's not as tube finicky as the first slot on the Sachs. I've had multiple pairs of tubes that played fine in the Supratek's but not the Sachs. If you made me choose just one not knowing what the future could hold in terms of amps it would likely be the Chardonnay. Others may pick the other way.
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@tksteingraber
The Russian military tubes are pretty standard for him when he can get them but the NOS Radiotron's are an upgrade from the normal. The 6SN7's should be fine as are the the Russian 6L6's. I would look for a NOS rectifier though as the first swap. They are getting more and more expensive but a good one should last you many years.
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@tksteingraber
I have both a Chardonnay and a Cabernet in two different systems and use Blackburn Mullard 5AR4's in both mainly due to the slow start-up feature. Have used all of the other compatible 5 volt variables but always end up back with the 5AR4's. As I leave my SS amps on all the time I don't get the noise at start-up and especially turn off with the 5AR4's I get with the other variants. My next favorite of the rectifiers are the RCA 5AS4's a 5U4 variant. In both preamps I am using the 6L6 tubes Mick supplied as I tried other modern ones and didn't hear a difference. Never had a reason to own NOS samples. Am using RCA 6SN7 GT's currently in both units but in the past have had good luck with Hytron 6SN7 GT's and Raytheon VT-231's. I own several NOS pair but never saw or heard the fascination with 5692's. I own two pair of 1943 Sylvania GT's that I bought NIB almost 25 years ago that on occasion I will put in one pair in one of them just to see if they can stay put but it hasn't happened yet. After almost four years of rolling 6SN7's in the two preamps I'm kind of settled in for a while with what's in them.
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