Supratek Owners Thread

I’ve been battling a noise issue. Adjusting the volume was incredibly scratchy and there was a background grittiness that was annoying me. Finally traced it to one of the 6l6gc regulator tubes. With cleaning I had managed to narrow down the noise to just one channel. Then when I swapped the signal tubes the noise was in the same channel. I never considered the regulator tubes because I never touched them. The preamp came with them already installed and I never used a different tube. Anyway, I took out the one on the right, cleaned the pins and now there’s no more noise! I wonder why that tube got noisy, very strange. 

rewimarc,

Not a computer person so not really sure ow to do tat wit this site. 

The photo on Mick's blog is what I have. Its the first photo and he talks about the Grange being his favorite creation.

http://supratekaudio.blogspot.com

Pictures, please! 

Mick just agreed to have mine painted in Pearl-White to match my speakers: these things should be in a design museum somewhere one day.

Received my Grange in Black/Chrome. I havn't had te chance to listen as my systems are tore down for the time being.

I did mangage to inspect it after it arrived and it is a thing of beauty.

@wideload did your Preamp come in yet? I'm waiting on a Cortese and the wait is killing me lol.

Thanks. I can make that happen! 

If next to each other,  I would give them at least 6' of space.  In that it is a transformer coupled design (output)..  those OPT's will pick up any stray/strong EM.    Generally not a huge concern but the PS is just that and you wouldn't want them practically touching. 

Getting set up for the Syrah and I'm curious if if the 2 chassis are ok next to each other - is there an advantage to separating them? If so, is there a minimum distance apart they should be?

Thanks in advance for your insight.

LOL,  Rumor is correct.  Western part of state in the Blue Ridge Mtns.

I wonder if a single Merlot mono might be matched.....

The guy I bought the Syrah from had a pair of Merlot monos - he said after 3 weeks, one went on the fritz and blew a fuse a couple of times 15 years ago. He sent it to someone in CA for repair who just said it was shot and never returned it!

SO, the seller kept and still has one hardly used Merlot. I wonder if a match can be made or did they all have the no longer available bits and pieces? He said when he had them and the Syrah powering Sonus Faber Guarneri's and "you didn't even need drugs"! I told him "you don't really NEED drugs" even if they really DO make it sound better....

My 'new' Syrah is at a friend's in Boulder, CO where the seller dropped it off. Still hoping to hear from Mick regarding @jslateiv . Rumor has it he's hiding out in my home state of NC....

@Wideload that sounds great! Maybe that means I'll receive mine around the end of April,fingers crossed.

@aldnorab the power supply will be on the floor stand,the Preamp section will be in my rack. I'm making a 15"X15" platform that I can change the legs length to whatever I need. I'm making it with 8" legs for now,after the Cortese arrives I may make changes depending on umbilical to Preamp. Might just make this into a 2 shelf unit.

I just landed a Syrah and am super psyched take part in this happy Supratek group! One of Mick's pre+phonos have been on my mind for over 15 years... Looking forward to sending it in for the once over, twice buffed and whatever upgrade there's to be done to @jslateiv once I hear back from Mick where that might be. 

Too bad about the deal of the century thread disappearing - I imagine it must have been in some server switch over or something. I used to pour over that and let my imagination run though some beautiful fields of music....now I wish I'd taken some notes!

Anyway, I have some Sylvania 6sn7w's and -wgt's already on the way and stoked for the magic.

I ordered a Chardonnay 3 January 31st waiting patiently.  Mick said it will have the Linlai 6sn7 tubes installed.  Happy patient man here!

Current wait times may be less than before. Ordered a Corerese LCR abut 3-4 weeks ago and it is shipping any day now. Longer wait if you want the chrome chassis. I didn't care and went with powdercoat.

@budburma   Yep,  I'm here and happy to help.  Shoot Mick an email and ask for my contact info.  A'gon won't let me post it here.  These units carry a transferable lifetime warranty (provided they hav'nt been modded),  so if anything is wrong due to component failure (somewhat rare) it will most likely be covered.  At the very least I can make sure all is in spec and clean/tighten up for you.

Well, I hope to join this thread as an owner and not just a dreamer sooner rather than later!

@jslateiv I have a Syrah in my sights and was told you might be able to give it the once over and some love. Please let me know if that's the case and whether you'd be interested. I would love the help and the Syrah would, no doubt, love the love.

@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. 

Thanks for the info @sc2 . I saw a 3rd party upgrade umbilical cord that was about half that length. It would be very difficult to fit into my rack. The stock Supratek makes it much easier.

Thanks,

aldnorab

They are 6 feet,  according to Mick, but that was a year ago..

Good idea @skypop . Wonder how long the umbilical cord is? Wouldn't want my linestage 2 ft. off the ground. 

Thanks,

aldnorab

Thank you very much, this is going to be sitting on the floor next to my rack.

@skypop the chassis for the power supply is the same size as the preamp itself, so about 13.5 inches by 13.5 inches. Roughly.

In terms of height, with the rectifier I'm using (large shouldered tube), the power supply is about 10 inches tall. I have about three inches of clearance between the top of the 5U4 and the shelf above it.

Can someone measure the dimensions of the power supply for the Cortese? I need to make a shelf for the power supply, my rack is full. Just a shelf for the preamp itself. Thanks for any help.

I have been trying out a lot of different tubes in my Cabernet, ranging from RCA 12sx7, TS round plate, 6f8g from Sylvania and Raytheon, Sylvania "bad boys", 7n7, etc. 

My tube rolling mania got the better if me and I bought some adapters that allow me to use a pair of *j5 instead of a single *sn7. Got them from a guy in Bulgaria that does great work.

Anyway, started with some Sylvania 12j5gt with round plates. Wow! There is a level of clarity and openness now that I hadn't heard before. Trawling through some forums it sounds like even the inexpensive metal version sound great.

So if you'd like to try upping your tube rolling game without breaking the bank, try some 6j5 tubes! I also highly recommend getting Mick to install a 12v option on your preamp if you order one. It opens up a lot of possibilities. 

Thanks @aldnorab my marantz sounds great,always wanted to hear a Preamp using 6sn7 tubes with balenced outs. Wasn't interested in Schitt audio Freya+,so this will help to not use my Marantz 7 all of the time. 

Congratulations @skypop . This should be a big upgrade. You can spend some of the waiting time reading about tubes. 

Thanks,

aldnorab

After A few weeks of reading and researching and emailing back and forth with Mike,I placed an order for A Cortese! I wanted an all in one preamp like my Marantz. Now the waiting begins, going to be a Long few months.

I would maybe think the Chard but ymmv.  It's always a personal preference at the end of the day.  Can't go wrong with either.  Maybe start with a Chard.,  less exp. and see if you feel like your wanting of anything.  Most likely will be very happy though.

thanks.  my system is in flux.  my listening is rock music through cd's

depends on your system and what your after.   they are 2 different circuits with the later incorporating some CCS.   The Cab's sound a little more hifi or tend show some more contrast in the music than the Chardonnay.  Thusly I would call the Chard. a bit smoother or even handed across the board,  a little less 'jump' factor if you will.   Both sound amazing.  would really come down to personal listening preference and associated gear and or the direction your trying to move from where your at right now..

anyone compare or know if its worth it to go from a CHARDONNAY to a cabernet?

The Supratek has big advantages to those with multiple amps. My VTL is 125k input at 2v. The Pioneer Series 20 M-22 class A amp is 47k at 1 volt. I've had other components that run out of volume control. Is there a disadvantage to putting the largest cap needed on the DS, when using other amps, besides size and price?

Thanks,

aldnorab

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.  

@jackd thanks. Bought the chrome model with gain controls. Don Sachs is in favor of deleting them, but I like the extra versatility of adjustable gain and balance, normally a Supratek advantage. Owner sent it to DS for updates, including the new rectifier. Was mentally prepared for Supratek and 4 month wait, now it is DS and a week. Life is always surprising.

Thanks,

aldnorab

@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?

Thank you @jackd . Was ready to order a Supratek and wait 4 months. Before sending the email scanned the ads one last time, to make sure I wasn't missing a super preamp deal. I'm on final break at work and there it is... a Don Sachs D2. Thought it wouldn't last until I got home. It did and now it is on the way. I should have it in less than a week. I may still order a Supertek. Now I can return the borrowed preamp. 

Thanks,

aldnorab

Yes, all the same.

Does the Cabernet have the same setup of balance and rear mounted gain controls as the Chardonnay? These features seem very useful and I'd hate to lose them by going to the Cabernet.

Thanks,

Aldnorab

gotcha, thanks

@pesky_wabbit 

He was using powered ATC's so yes preamp direct to the speakers. 

wanted to charge me a lot extra for caps to handle the impedance of my ATC speakers. 

sorry, I might might be misunderstanding this totally, but are you implying that there is a connection between the output of your preamp and your speakers?

I also have D Sachs, Dehavilland, Cary, Schiit, and VTL on my preamp list. Dehavilland closed shop and the remote version rarely comes up for sale. VTL would match my amp, but isn't 6sn7 based. The Cary SLP98 may be too euphonic. I use lots of different amps which causes problems picking "the" correct output capicitors for the D Sachs. The Schiit uses lots of solid state parts and that is what rendered my Audible Illusions M3A/B preamp unrepairable. 

I watched 3 D Sachs preamps sell in a week on another forum. Four months from now I may regret not grabbing one. Downside is they cost as much as a Chardonnay, and have no warranty. Think the Supratek is a better fit for me. Also like that Mick designs the whole preamp, and not just augmenting someone elses circuit boards. 

Thanks,

aldnorab

Hopefully, very soon. I skipped trying to Sachs back when was because unlike Mick, Don didn't offer balanced out and wanted to charge me a lot extra for caps to handle the impedance of my ATC speakers. 

@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. 

@aldnorab3 I got a Chardonnay a couple of years ago, wanting to dip my toes in first, but my hunch is you’d not be unhappy moving up right off, if you can handle it.. I’m now going to a 6SN7 Cabernet and glad to hear someone say what I’ve been hoping, that the overall tone will be the same. Since I’m not interested in messing with more tubes or wanting a dual option, I’ll be able to stick with what I’ve come to like. I would add that the two power tubes on the back of the main unit are also worth playing with. Replacing the Sovteks with RCA 6L6GC’s from the early 1960’s made a noticeable improvement.

@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.

Thanks @johnk . I'll keep it in mind. Which Supratek did you replace it with?

My friend is OK with the 4 month loan. Have to decide if I want to wait so long for something that hasn't been auditioned. Leaning towards Chardonnay, but maybe a Cabernet makes more sense for such a wait. Want to be careful to avoid thin & analytical sound. The borrowed Sound Valves 101i is about a perfect match tonally for my system. There could be more color and I can't live without a remote.

Thanks,

Aldnorab

Have a used Syrah with phono if you are in need.

Thanks @jackd for the information. I'm borrowing a preamp, need to see if 4 months is OK. 

Thanks again,

aldnorab