Supratek vs. Thor?

The Thor is a great preamp. Unbelievable bass and exceptional at passing the input through without coloration. These prices are bargains. The Supratek would have to be darn good to beat it. The Thor is gorgeous in black with gold accents. Plain jane is an inaccurate description of it's appearance.

I've owned them both, and I preferred the Thor: easily as fast as the Syrah, but tonally richer, with more heft and authority. With its round chassis Thor is hardly a plain Jane, as poster above suggests, but I agree Syrah is the ultimate looks champ. As to resale, look at the buzz: the drumbeaters have outdone themselves with threads such as "preamp of the century" here on Agon--so of course your Syrah is a much easier sale when the time comes. And the Syrah has a very good phono stage (although I used mine with outboard phono stages) while the TA 1000 is line only. At this level I've found there is a bit of "sideways" to most of the changes I make, as system synergy and personal preferences come into play. The Syrah offers a nuanced delicacy and speed that's surprising at the price--if the rest of your system fills out the sonic picture. The Thor offers weight and richness (with speed) that was a better fit for me.

Thanks for all the responses. I think the Thor is pretty cool looking and not plane jane. I know it's a line stage, I was thinking about getting it and then later picking up a great standalone phono stage. So I'll spend the Thanksgiving holiday pondering this potential change. Happy holidays to all!

I have never heard the Supratech, but, I did compare the Thor TA 1000 mk ii, to the Exemplar Exception, and felt the exception bettered it in transparancy, bass, sounstage, and listenability. The Exception is gorgeous, and is only a line stage. You should really check it out, cause at the price point it cannot be beat. I use a pair of E1800CC Amperex PW rated at 10,000 hours, so tubes are not an issue. I am also waiting for my new Exception to be completed with siltech wiring, and REMOTE control, which is wonderful for when the wife is yelling, TURN IT DOWN.

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Jond,
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The Syrah is terrific, but Mick is cranking out even better pieces at this point.
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The new Chenin is a dramatic bump up from the Syrah and the Cortese is another universe.
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Don't overlook going from the Syrah to either the new Chenin or Cortese (depending on your budget).
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The circuitry on both the Chenin and Cortese are dramatically improved, as are the sonics.
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Are you using stock tubes in your Syrah or are you using NOS ?
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