Preamp Deal of the Century

TJackson, Sorry... I don't have a home theater processor right now so I haven't been able to test the theater throughput. For HT, I've been using a Sony integrated unit which contains the DVD player, amp and receiver in one box. Unfortunately, that unit does not have preamp level outputs and thus will not work for test purposes. The only way for me to test right now would be to plug my CD directly into the HT Bypass... and I am not going to do that for fear of damaging the speakers.

By the looks of the latest HT Bypass, I can say (without testing) that it seems to function as planned.

I will try to find another preamp or another means to test this soon.

Hey Mick, Great to read your input on the board! Thanks for the tips on microphonics. After some break-in, my Cortese is sounding magnificent. I love that baby!

Did you try that power cord Ethan sent you? I hope you did. After trying MANY power cords, I found that cord to be simply awesome on Suprateks! I've wanted to tell everyone about this cord but I just don't know if he can get enough of them built to meet demand. I realize the plugs are not correct for Australia but I'm sure he would be okay with your changing the plugs for demo purposes. If you do get to hear it, let me know what you think.

Another thing that helped microponics - even with high gain - was some dampening material. A technician who looked at one of my preamps "installed" some of this material on the inside top of the preamp as well as on the bottom plate. This stuff diminished the microphonics tremendously - even at high gain settings.

However, with the dampening material inside the preamp, I noticed a darkening of the sound. One problem "solved" and another started... Perhaps the gain settings ARE the right way to resolve this. :)

My experiments with dampening materials shut down the sound of my system and stifled the dynamics. Life started again by removing the lead and dampening.Tom

Which only confirms my view that a little bit of microphonics doesn't hurt - in fact it can enhance the sound!

I have found that the 6SN7 is an inherently microphonic tube in any preamp. It might sound strange, but of the several different types of 6SN7's that I have, my preference is for the Sylvania VT231. It is a bit microphonic compared to the others, but to my ears it has the most treble extension; a greater sense of 'aliveness'; more openess and gives a nice bloom to the acoustics of the recording studio - making you believe you are 'there'. But in the end even with the VT231 it is still only a relatively small gain, as IMO even the stock 6N8P (a 6SN7 equivalent) sounds very good in a Supratek preamp.

Mick's explanation of noise and gain is a good one. I personally am reluctant to fiddle with my Supratek amps & preamps , believing and trusting that they have left Mick's workshop sounding how they are supposed to sound.

Audio is an interesting and all-absorbing hobby, but we need to be careful of chasing pots of gold under rainbows - they are usually not there...

Regards,

Steve M.

Somewhere out there on some web site or maybe it was our friend Warren who said "let it vibrate". Natural is what we all hope for..... Dampen is to strangle as Sistrum is to live. My opinion shared by many..Tom