Preamp Deal of the Century

Congratulations Dennis! Glad to know you've found a good tube combo for your system! The Syrah quite simply transforms a system into something much more.

Regarding the Ken Rads. There are actually 3 different versions, each with unique sonics. I know you said the KR's you had were VT-231 but make sure they actually say VT-231. There are KR's which do not say VT-231 (they usually say KEN RAD and that's it) and these are the darkest (dullest) of the lot. Still quite good but not to everyone.

Yes the KRBG are very good in some systems but not necessarily good in all systems. The Ken Rads tend to burn a little hotter than other tubes and wear out faster for whatever reason. As a result they can be noisy - especially if they were previously used in an amp.

Have anybody tried SARAH with PASS Labs X250 or another SS amp?
How it worked ?

I have the Cortese and a Sim Audio W-5. I think the combo works very well. Supratek preamps should mate well with most SS amps. You should email Mick with the input impedence and gain of the X250 and ask him if he has any concerns about component matching.

Hey guys. I would like to know what thwe consensus is re the gain knob on the back and also the gain switch on top of the unit. Also, which direction is what on the top flip switch. My amp is a model 10 Rowland. Thanks

i think it really depends on the sensitivity of your amp. i don't know the rowland, but my vac is pretty sensitive, and likes ideally under 20db of gain, so the top switches are set to low output (forward), and the back dial is set to highest output (all the way counter-clockwise).