Supratek vs Switchman for EMM Labs DAC

I have not heard the Supratek, but I have compared the DCC2 preamp initially versus the Audio Note tube M-8 and more recently M-10 preamps. In both cases, and IMS, I much preferred the tubed preamps to the DCC2 preamp, although all were excellent. The AN tube preamps seemed to have more air, liveness, and depth to the soundstage to the music. As you know the DCC2 is an amazing DAC, thus the preamp is a bonus. I would recommend you try both in your system

Reg

The Audio note M8 and M10 retail for $28k & $125k respectively...the entire Meitner DCC2 with DAC, CD to DSD converter and pre-amp costs $10k.!!

Following what I heard at this years Audio Note room at CES, I now have huge respect for their sound...along with the Meitner / Tenor room it was in my top three..but at some cost and a huge level of user/wife un-friendliness.

Following several Audio Society presentations, our members are in no doubt that the Meitner DCC2 is a breakthru in digital reproduction...particularly on CD...several of our members are even considering cashing out their pre-amps and extra interconnects and feeding their Phono / Tuner inputs thru this amazing one-box solution.

Initial evaluation of the meitner as a pre-amp ( compared to the highly acclaimed First Parasound dual mono preamp $8k retail) are:

1. The meitner is truer to the recording / more neutral with wider and deeper sound stage.

2. In an all solid state system the Meitner might be too revealing.

3. The First parasond infuses a very pleasent smoothness to the sound ie. it is arguably less neutral and somewhat euphonic.

In summary, the Meitner performs like a typical piece of hi quality studio equipment ie. it passes an un-editied miniature of what is fed into it (note the DCC2 is derived from the studio DCC6 ).

If you like the flavour that tubes add you will not get it from the DCC2. However, if you have a quality Tube Phono stage and Tube Power amps you may get enough of the Tube flavour and in this senario the Meitner is an outstanding neutral source swicher / attenuator.

Had I not found the DCC2 pre-amp, I would be using the outstaning Sonic Euphoria PLC ( passive line stage )...at just over $1k this is the nearest thing to 'nothing' I have heard .. it uses autoformers (now becoming more widely used in the best Tube equipment) instead of resistors to achieve variable gain without the inherent loss of drive/energy associated with resistive PLC's.

I know nothing of the Supratek..how much does it retail for?

Also dont Forget that in using an external Pre-amp with the DCC2 you introduce additional interconnect costs & the inherent degradations associated whenever you add interconnects to a system..remember less is more in the Analog domain.

One of the best systems I have ever heard used a Placette Passive line stage..(Rockport/Placette/Tenor OTL /Kharma).