Slowhand, You have a good ear. How many hits has this posting got since you started it? ....I'm at a point with my system where some proper isolation should kick it up a notch or two.You and most here know what a thrill it is to discover yet another whole new level of performance that was hidden in your system.My first real eye/ear opener was taking care of the a.c.acouple of years ago.The next HUGE leap were cables.... The only platforms that I have tried under my amps and pre. that worked pretty good were Symposiums top line... Alot of money for some aluminum and foam. More in fact then SRAs platforms. Cello what are your impressions SRAs products? Thank You |
Stiltskin,
The SRA iso bases are not cheap. $600 for each base for the Cortese. The improvement in sound that I heard was greater than any NOS tubes I have used and I don't have to worry about the iso bases becoming microphonic or going bad. Between Tung Sol round plates and 350B's you could easily spend as much as the iso bases cost. Keep in mind that the base I am experimenting with is not even made for the Cortese! Kevin custom builds each base for the piece of equipment it will be used with. He has a huge data base which tells him the dimensions, weight , and distribution of weight for components.
On music that was not dynamic, the iso base did not exaggerate, but it made the music very fluid. The music flowed and was very relaxing. I could have listened all night with no fatigue. On music that was dynamic, the "slam" factor was staggering! Notes seemed to trail off forever. Attack and decay of notes was more noticeable. I could play music at higher listening levels, and yet the sound never got hard. I guess this was because the iso base was doing a better job of isolating the tubes for vibration. Also keep in mind that my equipment rack sets on a concrete slab floor covered with wall to wall carpet. I would have thought that alone would have aided in isolating vibration. I would think the effects would be even greater on a suspended floor. |
Any body has a hum/buz (come from high, mid, and low)on Syrah when playing linestage?
Your help would be appreciated. |
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Slowhand, What's the price of the SRA series 3 you bought for your Cortese?If you say it has an amazing effect,I,m interested. With all thats on the market most of these isolation devices have subtle to no effect at a high price. Few stand out and work like Symposium Titanium Rollerblocks.Expensive ,but they do work extremely well under some but not all conponents.The expense for a set I can understand why. These Titanium balls are as perfectly round as can be,this is the key.Few millwrights and their machinery can achieve such extreme tolerances.Set up is cridical like any isolating device,you have to experiment to find that sweat spot under your equiptment. Symposiums platform line is also expensive which is not relative to manufacturing costs. Foam sandwiched between aluminum with a nice finish.They work also,for me not at these prices. Start double stacking the Titanium Rollerblocks on these platforms on all your equiptment.It can be a real ear opener in some systems, though at a high price. A friend of mine owns a audio store and has been looking into various new to the market isolation devices from all parts of the world.He's looking for things that acually work . Everything is checked out in his home system . I was in to see him at his store just before Christmas.Right now he is checking out some stuff called Black Raveolli from Germany I believe. Very inexpenive.Four blocks of the stuff for under a 100 bucks.I plan to stop by his home after the new year to check it out in his system and get some for myself.They also make a mat for turntables.Anyway he is AMAZED at what they do for his system and I can tell you the man is not easily impressed.What I know of this stuff it comes from development of isolating nuclear subs. A now declassified material and they will hold alot of weight. When I hook up with him,I will report all the details....Good listening Mark |
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Slowhand,
.
Kevin is a great guy and the SRA stands do wonderful things for music.
.
I found that a set of Symposium Rollerblocks placed on an SRA stand and under most components enhanced the already great results provided by an SRA stand. Kevin might tell you (as he did me) that there is no need to use anything like Rollerblocks in addition to his SRA stands, but I found that they definitely augment the improvements that SRA stands yield.
.
I have a set of Rollerblocks under each of my two Supratek pre-amp boxes. Every time I take them out the sonics degrade.
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Rgds,
Larry
. |
Has anyone used the SRA (Silent Running Audio) VR series 3 isolation bases under your Supratek preamp? I spoke to Kevin at SRA and he has made some for Supratek owners. I am using one under the main unit of my Cortese and the sound is nothing short of amazing! The base I am using is actually made for my Berning amp, but I wanted to see what it would do under the Cortese. This is a bigger improvement than any amount of tube rolling I have ever done. I am going to order one for the pre and one for the power supply. |
thank you both for your recommendations I have emailed Mick and await his answer. |
Thanks for your support of my recommendation to go with the Chenin Larry. I recommend getting the built in phono stage with any of the Supratek preamps even if you are not playing LP's. The reasons are, as Larry said, better resale, the additional cost of the phono stage is a steal!, and if you hear what the phono stage sounds like, you will be buying LP's. |
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Ooslik,
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I would whole heartedly second Slowhand's recommendation and change your order to get the Chenin and therefore Mick's phono stage. It is a terrific phono stage and will makeit a good deal more resaleable when you decide to sell it so you can upgrade to the Cortese :>)
.
This will be one of your better audio moves as you look back ten years from now. Do whatever you must to get Mick to change your order (even if you have to wait a good bit longer).
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Rgds,
Larry
. |
Stiltskin, thanks for your reply. With the Mullard brown base GZ-37 the other tubes light up in 9 to 11 seconds. With the Valvo (Mullard code) GZ-34 the other tubes light up almost immediately and that cannot be good for them. Am I wrong?
Additionally there is a soft one second thumb coming out of the power supply (not the Quads, since the amp is still off) every time I push the button and power the Syrah up with the GZ-34 in place. That is not a good thing, is it? So I think I will stick to the GZ-37 and buy a Bendix when I get back after Jan. 10th.
Best,
frankiealverti |
Ooslik,
I would have ordered a Chenin if I were you. The phono stage in Mick's preamp will be much better than the Phonomena you are using. I keep telling people that order Supratek preamps that they should order the pre WITH the phono stage. This is what Mick is famous for. As good as his line stages are, the phono stage is PURE KILLER! My recommendation would be to change your order to a Chenin and get rid of the Phonomena. |
Frankiealverti,I would'nt worry about the rest of the tubes lighting up so soon on initial start up using a GZ-34.This is normal operation. The GZ-34 and Bendix 6106 are indirect heated rectifiers. A directly heated rectifier like a 5y3 would eat your tubes up pretty quick on intial start up.Ecclectique has written about this and many other tube types indepth. Overall you will get alot of musical mileage out of your tubes in a Supratek pre,especially agood GZ-34 ,in fact many years. Periodically I test the tubes in all my equiptment. As for the problem you are currently experiancing with your Syrah. I would'nt use it until your tech guy has sorted things out......Artemus5 thread of 12-17-06 here to Amandarae reponse got me thinking about a Chenin owner with a Walker Audio Proscenium Turntable. A bit of a disproportionate gap in cost between the two including the other components and speakers in his system. This is quite the testimony for Micks phono stages and preamps. I'm sure this Walker Procenium owner would not tolerate the Chenin for a minute if it did'nt perform. No dought someday he will move up the Supratek line or to another preamp manufacture.I hope he chimes in. |
Do all GZ-34 rectifiers speed up the turning on process on the Syrah so much? I wouldn't think that is so good for the tubes. Do Mullard and Philips Miniwatt metal bases do this, too?
Regards,
frankiealverti |
Hi David, the battery change didn't work.
I am leaving tomorrow and will bring the Syrah to a good tech mid January...
Thanks and best,
frankiealverti |
So, are these preamps going to be at "The Show" in Vegas this coming year? Also, where's there website now? My puter's too slow to check all the post's here. |
I have been over this thread now for the past week and have decided to try it and placed an order with Mick for a Chardonnay. It should be here first week in Jan of 07. My wife is a saint and actually ordered it for me. Here are some questions I had...
1. Any thoughts on how the Chardonnay would mate to a Accuphase A50A amp
2. Thoughts on using it with a Phonomena for the analog sction ( I just acquired it so i can't part with it, has the battery pack as well and it sounds really good right now in my current set up. )
3. Have had various tube products in the past and have always been disappointed. Mainly due to the noise I am hoping that this is dead quite like everyone here has stated.
This thread I can say has been very imformative and really help me to make my choice much easier.
Thanks |
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone on the thread. I am just happy that I have been able to inform this many people of these great Supratek products. We are always happy to welcome more people into the Supratek family. A big thanks to Mick for building the best audio out there! |
Yes, merry Xmas everybody and another big thanks to Mick Maloney for bringing Supratek to us and to slowhand for starting this highly informative thread.
frankiealverti |
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Hi Frank. Yup, change it out and let us know the result. Cheers david |
Hi ecclectique,
thanks. I just saw one battery inside. I know there are quite a few different Syrahs, but, do you think that is normal?
Best,
frankiealverti |
Hi Frankiealverti. Hmmmmmm.... If the symptom is common to both rectifiers I would think the problem is elsewhere in the preamp. The phono stage tubes in the Syrah are battery biased,perhaps the batteries need to be replaced and hopefully they may very well be the cause. |
Hi Houstonreef. OK,things are a little more clear now. As I mentioned in my last post the 6bg6 is an electrical equivalent to a 6L6 however it requires a top hat connection to the contact on top of the tube to power it up. Could very well be a factory version from Supratek for all I know. I would suggest you email Supratek and ask Mick if he made it that way or perhaps you could ask the previous owner if he rewired the socket to accomodate the 6BG6 tube. To be candid here: Unless you are into tube rolling of the regulator tubes it nothing to be concerned with anyway. RE: Power up procedure [important]. When the JC-1 is in "standby mode" there is no voltage or power at it's output whereby you can leave it powered up 24/7 if you wish.It is very important to be sure the preamp is powered up and running PRIOR to switching the amplifier from standby and into PLAY MODE . Powering up the preamp when the amplifier is in play mode can potentially damage your speakers, amplifier or both. When shutting your system down.....It is imperative to turn off the amplifier first before the preamp. In your case, switch the amplifier out of play mode and back to standby mode before powering down the preamp. You can leave the JC-1 in standby mode 24/7 if you wish. |
Ecclectique, thanks for your inputs. the 6bg6 tubes have a hat with wire on the top of it. Should i change it?
I experience lately with my system and i do not know that it is normal or not. When my JC1 is in stand by mode, i turn syrah on and the speaker produces no noise, boom.... But when the Amp is in the play mode and i turn on my syrah i hear the sound of boom from the speaker especially the woofer. IS there any wrong in my system?
Thanks and Happy Holidays |
Hello ecclectique, big disappointment. The GZ-34 did not solve the problem. On the contrary, with it in place of the Mullard GZ-37 the funny sounds began just a couple of minutes after begin of vinyl play... The GZ-34 is a Valvo with Mullard codes, not a Hytron. The seller wrote it measures good on his Funke tube tester. Any idea what else it could be? Thanks.
Regards,
frankiealverti |
Fiddler, thanks for your perspective. It is very much appreciated. You have tried so many tubes on your Supratek. My Syrah has a pair of matched GE side getter 6SN7s. I may buy the EH for a spare and try them in January. Best,
frankiealverti |
It has been my experience that the regulators affect the sound much more than any of the 6SN7's. Yes, the WE 350B's are very expensive, but worth it, IMHO. The Genelex KT66's aren't even close to the WE's in my system. Since I have the 350B's, I haven't tried the 6F6's.
As far as the 6SN7's go, I have tried them all. The EH 6SN7's kicked out the Kenrad blackglass and Tungsol roundplates. Still have the Kenrads and the Tungsols, but they are sitting in a box. The EH's are just as good as the 'Rads and Tungsols and better than everything else.
It is my opinion that in most any other application the Kenrads and Tungsols would probably best the EH's, but I simply believe the 6SN7's contribute very little to the sound in the Supratek as compared to the regulators and the rectifier. Having rolled them all, I wish I had saved a bunch of monney on NOS 6SN7's and bought the EH's in the first place. Taking the money I wasted on NOS 6SN7's, I could have bought 3 pairs of WE350B's which do greatly affect the sound of MY Supratek.
Not trying to argue with Ecclectique, just offering a different experience. |
Hello ecclectique,
I am so fascinated by your kindness, experience and knowledge that I have waited until this hour (02.14 over here) for your reply. THANKS!
YES, you are right, I meant the 7027A. My RCAs and Westinghouses did a great job in my Heathkits. I also have a pair of new Sovtek 5881s. They do sound much inferior to the metal base 7027A's in the Syrah, but maybe it is just because they still are brand new. Anyway, I will try my burnt-in RCA 7027A's in the Syrah (I hope Mick isn't reading this ;-))
The tube seller is the most reputed and most expensive in Germany, thank god the previous owner paid him for these tubes, not me. If you would like to know who he is, just out of curiosity, you can email me privately and I will gladly give you his site address. This practice of wiping the branding off is very old, he has been doing it for many years. He then writes his name and the tube type in different colours depending on the quality of the tube according to his measuring, testing, matching etc.
A huge thanks for the rectifier tip, a Hytron GZ-34 is on its way here and hope it will reach me before Xmas. I know I need the metal base GZ-34, but before I spend what is big money for me for the metal base Mullard or Philips, I thought I should try the Hytron, see if the problem vanishes. No, I did not and cannot measure the Mullard GZ-37, I really hope that the rectifier tube is the problem.
Thanks for your kind words on my system, your systems are truly extraordinary (I have heard the TW once in a show twelve or more years ago, WOW!). My Quads have PK (absolutely great guy) treble panels, new EHT blocks and protection clamps. New PK bass panels maybe next fall. The Radford STA-25 MkIII is a really good match, indeed. Before the Syrah I used a (Bruce Moore designed) Precision Fidelity C-7a sp (with step-up trannies for MC inside). Not at all bad, not at all, but the Syrah is in a different league. Now if the problem could go before Xmas so that I can enjoy my LPs for more than a few minutes!
Many thanks and regards, ecclectique!
Best,
frankiealverti |
Frankiealverti. Houston...We have a problem!!!! Are you certain the tubes are 7029's. I have never heard of a 7029 designation. Perhaps you are confusing it with the 7027 or the 7027a. If it is a 7027.... Yup, the 7027 is electrically similiar to a 6L6 and should be fine in the supratek. That said: Am I missing something here? No offence but I would be "highly suspect" and immediately ask myself why anyone one would go through the exercise of relabelling tubes,and for what reason other than financial gain. Flat out Fraudulant if you ask me! The original old stock 7027 is a rare breed indeed and I have only come across this tube once or twice in over 30 years. A local musician brought in an old Ampeg guitar amp that employed the 7027 tube. I could not find replacements for them and had to retrofit his amp to operate with the 6L6's. Rumour has it, that the 7027 is the King of Tone and the cats meow in the this old Ampeg. The gentleman I am referring to is an incrediblly talented blues player and quite a famous recording artist. His comments were....What the f_ck did you do to my amp man! Well sir... " I put some [old stock] 6L6g's in it man as I couldn't find the 7027's anywhere" I could only imagine that the guitar amp crowd would probably trade in their back up guitar for a pair of these! Frank...I don't doubt the original old 7027 sounded better in the Heathkit W5's but I would be willing to wager that they are probably new stock chinese or russian metal base 6L6's with the labels washed off. Why take the chance in your Supratek anyway? Regarding the preamp making noises when your using the phono stage. Have you tested the rectifier? I would hazard to guess that your Mullard GZ-37 is either very weak or has grossly imbalanced halfs.This artifact you describe is really not that uncommon particularly in the supratek with phono stages. Yes, I believe the GZ34/5ar4 would be the safer choice. By the way: WOWZA and well done man!... You have one fabulous rig there sir and a very fine ear. To this very day I am still kicking myself for selling off my Radford ST-25. Over the years....I have had my share of highly regarded amplifiers paired with the Quad 57's and I can honestly say I have never heard a better amplifier than the STA-25/quad combo. Outfitted with the Genelex kt77 is pure magic with a capitol M. Now add the mighty supratek into the mix....sigh. Can only imagine!!!! |
Houstonreef. The Ge 6sn7gtb.... if it is the sidegetter version, it is the proverbial "over achiever" if there ever was one in the 6sn7 family. A great score for paltry sum these can be bought for and they fly way below the radar relative to the cost of the other nos tubes in the family. [for the time being anyway]and they sound very good in the Supratek's. Sonically speaking, they are very smooth with a well balanced tone from top to bottom, decent at resolving subtle detail and posses a very punchy bass line [one of the best of the nos 6sn7's in that regard] a robust and reliable tube that's generally free from microphony and low in noise.Certainly not as texturally layered and transparent sounding as the Kenrad blackglass or Tungsol roundplates but certainly not bad in that dep't either. [ then again, only a few others nos examples are] and they generally sell 5x the price. It has been mentioned in the thread that Mick has voiced his current preamps with the stock EH6sn7 and it is a large improvement over the sovtek 6sn7. I would certainly agree with the general concensus when compared with the sovtek however, I do not concur with the general consecus here when compared to many nos 6sn7/vt-231/5692 varieties. The GE 6sn7 sidegetter easily best it, the reasonably priced RCA grey glass versions literally stomp all over the stock EH 6sn7 in every dept. Move further up the family food chain.... to the Kenrad Black or the tungsol roundplate....well.... a whole nother stratosphere to experience. Comparing the two would be like comparing the Supratek Chenin to an old Conrad Johnson preamp employing tired tubes. The 6GK5's in the pro/comm box are probably a late production tube rebadged with their label. Most of the 6gk5's out there are late production tubes and probably all made at the same facility anyway and then rebadged with a Mullard logo or number of other company's name. The early nos examples all had factory date codes. I have a pair of old stock Amperex's with factory codes and bugle boy labels that are far better sounding than the later production examples without the codes. The US made RCA 6gk5's are the way to go here if you can't find the older tubes as they are generally low in noise and all sound consistent.I suppose it's a moot point here for those with the latest production Supratek preamps that are sporting the Covi designed phono stage however those with older Syrah's and cortese models that employ Micks version of the renowned Loesch design should go out of your way to dig up some old stock 6fq5's in place of the 6gk5....A major impact and a big surprise to be had here folks! Regarding the 6bg6???????? Houstonreef, are you positive they say that somewhere on the tube! I am surprised, no more than surprised they would even work in the Syrah, unless the previous owner had the tube socket rewired to accomodate a 6bg6. The 6bg6 is electrically very close to a 6L6 however,it is traditionally employed as an output tube in an ampifier but requires a top hat on the top of the tube to operate in any given circuit. Just "Mind Boggling" to me as to why anyone would go to the trouble of using that tube for regulation duty in the Syrah anyway. |
Hi Ecclectique, thank you so much for your comprehensive reply.
My used Syrah came with a pair of matched metal based 7029's ("made in U.S.A.", the reputed dealer here in Germany wipes out the branding and re-brands them with his own name), but Mick wrote me they could be inadequate for the Syrah, because they are not exactly equivalent with the 5881/6L6. That is why I am considering 6F6's.
Otoh a pair of Heathkit W-5M's I used to drive my original Quads with, prior to getting the Radford STA-25, sounds best with 7027's!
Ecclectique, speaking about rectifiers, could you please let me know something else? With the Syrah when I play my LPs using my ZYX Fuji (not with FM or CD; sounds great) there are funny noises coming out of one channel after ten to twenty minutes, sometimes earlier. The noises sound like tearing paper or like the noise between channels in a radio or sometimes like a muffled heartbeat!
My Syrah came with a brown based Mullard GZ-37 rectifier, which Mick says should be OK for the Syrah if in very good shape. I have changed the 5842 and 6GK5 phono tubes and the 7029's but the problem persists.
Once you wrote that phono play could be affected if the rectifier is not 100%, except if it is a GZ-34 which could be less with no problems. Do you think that getting a GZ-34 would solve this problem (apart from sounding better)?
Thank you so much. Best,
frankiealverti |
Here are the tubes on my Syrah:
6SN7 Gtb ge
6GK5 gt pro/comm
6bg6 philips
What is your opinions on these tubes?
Thanks. |
Hello Frankiealverti. Certainly, the nos sylvania 6F6gt will perform as well or better than any other 6f6 type for regulation duty in the Supratek's providing they test strong and are closely matched for gm. I am still using a pr of them in my Syrah. The regulator tubes can have an influence in the sound of the supratek's however, the difference's are rather subtle here.They are used in conjuction with the rectifier to smooth out the residual ripple of the rectifier in the power supply . Far greater rewards are gained by changing out the stock rectifier first for a strong testing nos gz34/5ar4 before even thinking about rolling out the regulator tubes. Without rolling out the stock rectifier first....changing the stock regulators for something else would just be an exercise. By the way: When I first recommended the 6F6g for regulation duty way way back near the beginning of this thread, it was more to inform people that the 6F6G [shoulder shaped glass types only] was a low cost alternative to the stock Sovtek 6L6/5881 that Mick was supplying at the time.Most Nos tubes in the 6L6 family are rather pricey to say the least and some in that family are hideously expensive [the genelex kt66, Western Electric 350's for example]. At the time, I was using a pair of Western Electric 350b's only because I had a few pairs laying around in my stash. I could not and would not recommend them in good conscience, the cost for a pair of them is far better invested in music or elsewhere in your rig. The high cost of nos 6L6 types are due to the demand by the Guitar amp crowd. There are a whole host of nos tubes that will work for regulation duty, many are less expensive to acquire than the new issue tubes in the 6L6 family. |
Thanks for all your advice, and especially Ecclectique(i will get back with you on your offer). The reason is that someone in this thread prefers to use the stock tubes instead.
Happy Holidays |
Hello Ecclectique, thanks for sharing your vast experience and knowledge. During the last week I have read and saved many of your postings in this fine thread! Would you please let me know (according to your experience) if the plastic based, round plate Sylvania 6F6GTs will perform and sound as good as a good pair of NOS 6F6Gs on the Syrah?
Thanks so much and happy holidays,
frankiealverti |
Hello Houstonreef. Congrats on your new found supratek. The linestage tubes will be the first pair of the larger [octal based] tubes behind the smaller phono tubes. The original line stage tubes supplied with the Syrah were the Sovtek 6sn7's. What type of 6sn7 tube was the previous owner using? Most any other nos 6sn7 should be a major improvement over the Sovtek's. The newer suprateks are delivered with the Electro harmonics 6sn7, certainly far better sounding tube than the sovtek's however still not in the same league as some of the better nos 6sn7's. Your welcome to my pair of EH 6sn7's and/or the sovtek 6sn7's for the cost of the postage. Everyone have a very Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year. |
Houstonreef,
you have to read the thread or at least large parts of it. I made it in six days... There are some marvellous recommendations on tubes from really experienced people.
One thing I remember is many were excited at the sound of the Electro Harmonix 6SN7 tubes. A couple or three have also recommended the Sovtek KT-66.
Enjoy your Syrah and good luck,
frankiealverti |
At first, i do not have a lot knowledge about the tubes.The previous owner has chagned some of the tubes on the Syrah.I need your help on buying the stock tubes on my Syrah that i play only linestage. can you point out exactly what tubes (model) are the stock tube for playing linestatge only and also where is the best place to buy them.
Thanks. |
i received the tracking numbers from mick today and called dhl. they anticipate i'll have them by thursday or no later than friday. the amps arrived in los angeles today and have cleared customs as of noon today. now i get to enjoy the agonizing and constant checking of the dhl site for the next two days. but i'm still looking forward to a very merry christmas. |
Kgturner,
Has your Christmas present from Australia arrived yet, or is it in customs "hell". |
Oh sorry, you have the Chardonnay. Well, so much so for discussing the phono section of the Supratek being a steal at <$500 then........ |
Grounding Hum!! Never had it, never heard it.
If you had it or heard it, something wasn't right in your system Can you please tell me your set up? What SUT are you using? Cartridge? Phono pre? What is your total gain from phono preamp to linestage? What loading? What table? Just curious, maybe I can copy it. |
Grounding Hum!! Never had it, never heard it.
If you had it or heard it, something wasn't right in your system. |
Hi, is the 6F6GT as adequate and as good as the 6F6G for the Syrah? I was offered a pair of plastic based, straight-glassed Sylvania 6f6GTs. Thanks and happy holidays.
Frankiealverti |
Oh, I forgot to add, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!! |
Did you guys consider grounding (hum) with regards to separates? The Supratek is a two box solution so having a separate power supply as the main advantage of "separates" is not really 100% accurate when you compare the Suprateks to an independent phono preamps.
With all due respect, I do not subscribe to the theory of separates is always better. To me, it all depends on how good the circuit design was executed. On my Chenin, I can crank up my volume pot with the gain pot on both channels max in the phono section and can barely hear a sound from my active speakers. With separates, doing the same exercise, will produce humm and hiss when volume pot is at 80% or more, at least in my experience because there is always some imbalance when SUT is being use.
As for tweakers like us having separates, then I understand the desire. But one thing for sure, it also creates paranoias like "Do I have the correct SUT?", "What about the interconnects between the SUT and preamp?" and so on.
Just a thought, the Supratek phono section is like "free" or a steal on the Chenins. In my case, I virtually paid <$500 for the phono section when I bought my preamp as compared to the linestage only version! IMHO, for $500 which was the price difference between linestage only and the full function when I ordered my unit, you will not find an MC phono preamp in the market today that is tube rectified, tube regulated, hybrid (low noise FET) input with tube output that has independent variable gain adjustments for each channel(ala dual-mono) to compensate for using non-matched tube pair(and overall gain balance between L&R channel) and sounds like or close to the Supratek's. I could be wrong but is there one that I might not be aware of? |
The only disadvantages I see to seperates is maybe the extra cost of the unit, extra cables and maybe a extra shelf on the rack.
Other than that its all better. There is less on one chassis, less heat, less interferance, if something goes its easier to service.
As for performance, seperate power supplies are allways better, you have the flexability to upgrade either one without the other, and of course the main one for us tweakers, you have another whole box to tweak. |
I have wondered lately about the idea of separates when it comes to the phono stage. I know that separates have been the generally accepted way to obtain higher resolution, however I am not entirely sure of all the ramifications. Separate power supplies seem to be one big reason for separates. But is it a bad thing for the preamp/phono stage to share a power supply? Then too, what other compromises must be made for an all in one preamp? Or do compromises need to be made? I don't know the answer, but I'd like to hear from someone knowledgeable about circuitry. |
I wonder if Mick will ever make a stand alone phono stage.
I don't want to bug him to ask him, but I bet it would be great.
I like my phono stage seperate, thats why I got the Chardonny. I am now using a AES PH1 that I built from the kit, which I love, but I think if he ofered one I would be very tempted to change. |
