Preamp Deal of the Century

Saint2 - You don't mention your musical tastes and what you want from your system.

Hi Jazzdude
I tend to listen to basic rock like Tom Petty, Fleetwood Mac etc.. I also listen to stuff like Linkin Park, and some Rap if the base interests me. Recently I have started to listen to Blues, and I like it as well. As far as what do I want from my system. That is a tough question since I have never had a system before. I quess I don't really know. I think whatever I get I will like because I won't know the difference. I know I don't like things to bright, and I think Bel Canto amplification and Meadowlark speakers have taken care of that concern. There are times thou when I need to here some base to get me going. I here words like base slam, imaging, soundstage, transparency etc.. Do cables really make that much difference when it comes to the sound? With my novice ears I wonder if I could here the difference between Cardas, Nordost, Kimber etc. I have sent an e-mail to Meadowlark for recomendations, and I will keep reading in the arceives. Jazzdude your question does have me thinking. I may not have the answer until after I have my cables hooked into my system, and have been listening for awhile. Of course if the sound is to harsh for my tastes, then could it be the cables, or something else in the system causing the problem. WOW this hobby is interesting!

Regards Tim

You should audition several pairs of cables in your system from www.fatwyre.com, buy the ones you like best. I would try something from Cardas, Kimber, Acoustic Zen, and MIT within your price range. Decide on your interconnects first. Then choose your speaker cables. If you find cables don't make a difference to you, count yourself lucky. In that case, NOS tubes probably won't matter to you either. Think of all the money you are going to save with lamp cord cabling and sovtek tubes.

Hi jazzdude
I Have to laugh at those last two lines, that is great stuff. You know I just wanted to build a small HT system, and now I have jumped in with both feet, and the water is a little over my head, but I am loving every minute of it. I mean a tube preamp as my first preamp, and one that is made in Australia. What can I say, if I am going that far lamp cord cabling and sovtek tubes just won't do. Thanks for the advice.

Regards Tim

I think goertz and purist audio should be in there with the other cable auditions, along with cardas and kimber. i personally did not like the MIT cables I had, but they were from the lower end of their line up.

i was like you tim, started off small, with a tube integrated about 2 years ago, and it fueled a big fire. i've easily heard differences in NOS tubes and cables -- have fun! you'll love the supratek. despite a big upgrade bug gnawing at me, i am too scared to change anything in my system now as it sounds SO good.