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Supratek Owners Thread

Greetings All - 
It appears that the 26-million-plus view, multi-decade "Preamp Deal of the Century" Supratek thread has been removed. I'm not sure why, but suppose there must be a reasonable explanation.
In any case, on that thread I recently asked whether there might be interest in a "Supratek owners thread" and received some interest. 
The purpose of this thread is for Supratek owners to share the details of their system, ask questions, share information about any tube-rolling they have done, and so forth.
I'll kick us off here with a few details about my system -
ancient Linn LP12 with Ittok arm, Dynavector 17D3 cartridge into Cortese LCR phono stage
Power amp is a fully serviced Innersound Electrostatic amplifier
Quad ESL63 speakers (not USA monitors) or JBL 4430 studio monitors
Digital sources are immature and evolving - ancient Fostex CR300 cd player/burner
DacMagic 100 DAC
Nordost Blue Heaven 75ohm interconnect
Due to the fairly long lengths of speaker wire required in the new listening room, speaker wire is Belden 12 gauge wire designed for low-voltage outdoor lighting systems. 
Next steps - dedicated circuit, new power cords, new interconnects, new wires.
128x128markusthenaimnut
rwolters's avatar
rwolters
7 posts
 
Hi Guys,
I've been following this thread and investigating the Supratek line stage preamps. I've also reviewed some of the great information Mick has posted in his blog entries. It seems that there are a lot of satisfied owners of these preamps. But, when it comes to picking between the Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Cortese, which is the right choice, and why? I know they all look great, and are all Gen 3 designs. Price wise they range from $2500 to $4000. So, the price differences are not all that huge. It's not like one is $2500 and the next one is $10k. Can anyone provide some insight in choosing one over the other? Thanks very much.
Bob
jackd
1,068 posts
 
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.  
rwolters's avatar
rwolters
7 posts
 
Thanks jackd for your response. It's great to hear that your Chardonnay is doing everything you want. Is it the Gen 3 Chardonnay?

The Cortese is available as a line stage only ($4K) or with a built in phono stage ($7.5K). I'm not interested in having an on board phono stage since the phono tubes are always being consumed whether or not they're being used, and due to the additional heat generated. So, are you suggesting the Cortese isn't in the mix because it's not as good sounding as a line stage as the other options? Or is it something else?
Bob
rwolters's avatar
rwolters
7 posts
 
jackd, I just noticed that you've only had your Chardonnay for a month or two. So, it's obviously a Gen 3.
Bob
highstream
207 posts
 
My understanding is that the difference between the Chardonnay and Cabernet is not just the complexity of the power supplies, but in the quality (or price) of the components used within both sections, i.e., the kind that make a difference in sound quality. How much more than that is involved, I don't know.

Btw, the prices you are quoting are for the more expensive cabinetry/finish (+ shipping presumably to the States, another $250).
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