Preamp Deal of the Century

Hi Everybody- sorry for the delay in getting back to you all-I didn't realize my post had stirred up some comment.
I dont actually get a chance to look at this forum very often ,and I hope that any owners of Supratek products have no hesitation in contacting me personally if they have an issue about anything- I take a great deal of pride in my service and always try to reply to personal emails asap, but cant follow the forums with my limited spare time.
However, should I have used the forum to announce new models? On reflection, maybe not- but I'm selling the new models now and I thought everyone had a right to know what the situation was- rather than hearing misinformation third or fourth hand.
As to possible upgrades-I've already done two and should have said that it was possible- again I presumed that any interested would contact me directly. Obviously I have to fit them in when I can, as I dont make any income on upgrades as they stop me building new preamps, but I will do it as soon as possible and at minimum cost to the owner- I dont think I can reasonably be asked to do more.
I can understand that some would get upset about new models, but it is a part of life that change happens. I only introduce new models when I think it has to be done to improve the sound and features of the preamps-with some reluctance as I can appreciate the feelings of people whose preamp has just been superseded.
But I had no choice- the new Cortese/Sauvignon, Grange/Cabernet are much better sounding and are very versatile- previously there were some power amps that they were simply not a good gain match with- now they will happily work with any power amp and bring the best out of them.
Please note that this issue does not apply to the Syrah and Chardonnay preamps- I'm very happy with them and have no plans to replace them at all. Incidentally, the Syrah and Chardonnay make up about 80% of Supratek production.
Please contact me direct at supra@supratek.biz if you would like any further feedback.
MickM

The master has spoken.

Thanks for the positive comments Fiddler & Jazzdude! And Jazzdude, I stand corrected about the gain issue, you are quite right, the new Cortese/Grange circuit maintains that high gain aliveness with apparently little noise.

Brian, I can appreciate that you have recently bought a Cortese preamp and feel that you have missed out on the new circuit, but as you can see from Mick's generous offer of an upgrade, the solution to your problem was already there, all you had to do was call Mick. I think Mick's honesty, direct approach and accessibility by his clients is sometimes to his detriment! I mean, if you bought an X-Series Pass Labs amp today, and found out tomorrow that a 'new' Z-Series has been released, would you go looking all over the planet for Nelson Pass to tell him what you thought of him ?? I doubt it ... so why do it to Mick, at least he's had the decency to discuss this matter openly.

I also stand by my comments about gain not being an issue on the Cortese depending on the system you are using. If I can explain, I have the luxury of being able to put together several combinations of cdp/amps/pre's/speakers in my home, depending on my mood and preference at the time. For example, if I line up the Cortese with the low sensitivity Merlot monoblocs or the Pass Labs Aleph 3 and a Proac Response 2.5 loudspeaker (87dB efficiency), then the sound is very sweet with absolutely no issues of high gain or noise. Alternatively, if I throw in a Krell KSA-100 (loud and highly sensitive) together with my W.A.R Audio Reference Two loudspeakers using Raven Ribbons(95dB)/Accuton Ceramic mids/Cabasse 21NDC bass drivers, then some background hiss can be heard.

Hence, my comment that if your system is not highly sensitive, then the gain of the Cortese is not an issue.

Please note also that my reference to Mick as the 'master' is just a figure of speech and is not meant to be sub-servient. You must admit though, that he is the creator (maybe I should use this term ? but it's too pretentious) of the beautiful pre-amps that we all love, so a little bit of respect wouldn't go astray.

Brian, I have read all of your posts and you come across as a very reasonable and knowledgeable person and your enthusiasm for Supratek is reknowned. Please don't flame me further on any of my comments, they are really just that - my opinions, and not worth getting hot-n-botherd about.

'Creativity' and 'the zeal to improve' are necessary ingredients for making lovely music out of a bunch of valves; transformers; capacitors and resistors! I for one, am glad that Mick Maloney has a furtive mind and continues on the quest to get better and better with his Supratek products - we're all the winners in the end ...

Regards,

Steve M.

Passion, passion, not a bad thing, if directed appropriately...

Even ignoring Mick's response, I don't think this is an example of the manipulative marketing stategy of the Sig model, or Master series, or Mk II, etc. that we are all on the gaurd for and which we, assumably, have assumed we had, in some small measure, escaped from when purchasing our original Syrah et al. Small manufacturers who are passionate - and, of course, this passion is where the original pre's derived - also tend to passionately introduce new models. Commonsense wise, Mick should have mentioned the upgrade path, but, as some have noted, I don't think that was what he was meaning to talk about in the first place.

If I had just purchased a Grange and saw this message, then my initial reaction might have been as some of the above. But, then again, I think I would have contected Mick directly on that matter, and I'm sure, given Mick's past performance, I would have been accommodated in the context of the retail price and potential upgrade, don't you think?

As for myself, I still own the Syrah - one of the early ones - and I know that its resale value, like all of our components, will eventually fall. In that context, a question: have we all become a wee bit spoiled that our pre's are holding their value so well?

Its the stereo game. Mick didn't invent it, and he's not, like most manufacturers, abusing it. Its a luxury, one that 99.9% of the planet's population can not even consider. Within that sub-culture, .1% you have found a product that comes along only .1% of the time. A new model for guys who can shell $7500 for a pre doesn't change that...

Steve, I appreciate your input and apologize for my "passion" (as Asa put it). I should not have directed it at you per se'... Perhaps it's because I know you are close to Mick and the explanation you are giving seems to deeply contrast that which Mick himself posted.

Mick's post clearly indicated a revolutionary improvement to the design and your post seems to indicate that this is nothing more than solving a compatibility issue.

Mick's post started by saying this was bad news for existing customers and you seem to indicate it is not.

So my question to you is, who do we believe? Should we believe Mick, or should we believe you? I'd like to know.

Sure, I could email Mick myself and get an explanation but because he made the decision to use the forum to make a "bad news to present owners" product announcement, he should use this forum to clear up the confusion created by that announcement.

I am sure there are more people interested than just me.