Preamp Deal of the Century


If anyone is looking for a true "World Class" preamp at a very fair price..heed my advice. I just recieved a Supratek Syrah preamp that was hand built by Mick Maloney in Western Australia, and it is absolutely beautiful! This preamp is the best deal you will ever find. I would put it up against any preamp out there for both looks and sound. Price? $2500 for the Syrah (includes Killer Phono stage). Not into phono? Try the Chardonney line stage for $2100. Don't get me wrong, I am not associated with this company. I am just a very happy owner! This preamp is VERY dynamic, yet liquid. It conveys the sound of music better than any other preamp that I have ever heard! You can check out the Supratek website at www. cantech.net.au
slowhand
Outlier, shpouldn't be burn in or PC's on amps, etc. - that's too noticeable for that. Etthan contacted me and said he was having hum problems too, so you may want to talk with him about what he's doing. Its usually grounding issues or phono cord issues, ie not shielded enough. You may want to look into things there (good phono stages are invariably quite sensitive, some more than others).

Hum is a perennial hobgobblin in phono stages and every analog enthusiasist sighs relief when he/she doesn't have any - and sometimes you just don't know where its coming from! You just have to slog away, talk to other people like you're doing, and keep at it. However, if it is the phono stage itself then the manufacturer needs to address that. Finding another analog system to plug it in that is already stable is always a good idea, although not dispositive.

Keep us updated please.
Asa, thanks for the advice. I managed to isolate the hum issue. It was related to the close proximity of my Syrah to my power amps, believe it or not. I had to rearramge my room again, and bring my power amps right next to my speakers, leaving the Syrah in the middle as far away from both amps as possible. Hum is now completely gone. I'm a happy camper now. Mick's preamp certainly wasn't at fault. As my turntable burns in further, I'm now beginning to see how good a vinyl rig can be. Fingers crossed it will overtake my CD player soon. Happy listening!
Happy, outlier, that hum solved. Its a real pain if not found and didn't want you to get deterred from analog. Hope you like it. Try listening to analog for about an hour then switching back to CD. Somehow, the mind gets it easier that way.
Strange, I always listen to analogue first then switch to cd; the other way around & the cd sound annoys me (no offence to redbook digital -- just habit)!
Outlier, thank you much for the info regarding the remote.

To those who have the Syrah or Cortese, is the volume control a smoothly turning knob or a stepped knob? Has anyone asked Mick for something specific in regard to output control?

I'd also be interested in hearing from those who got their Supratek 'customized' and with what features?

Thanks in advance,
Travis