Preamp Deal of the Century

Bwhite, that's a very interesting post.

When I first ordered my preamp I told Mick that I had a DACT attenuator that I purchased for a Foreplay kit that I had never used. I asked him if he would install it when he built my preamp. He said he would but that it would be inferior to the one he built for the Supratek.

As good as the DACT is supposed to be, I was suprised at his answer. Maybe I will try it since I have it. Shouldn't be to hard to implement.

BTW, I went to the DACT website and couldn't find a "remote controlled" DACT. I have a CT1, but I would purchase a remote control if they have one.

Hi Fiddler - After I made the post I also went to the DACT website and looked for the remote & couldn't find it. I remember seeing this (months ago) for sale on a DACT distributors website as well as on DIYCable.com --- I couldn't find it on DIYcable.com either.

Maybe the motorized remote was discontinued. :( I'll need to look in to this.

If you have the HT-Bypass on your preamp try it with any source which can regulate its own volume and then compare the same source connected through the standard inputs. This will give you some idea of what the volume controls on a Supratek "sound like".

Just looking..Is the Supratek dual mono? I have performed many mods on my Melos pre-amp over the years..One that was a bigee was installing 2 Noble volume controls removing the mute switch and the tape monitor switch, really a great improvement.Having two independent volume controls and no balance control makes for a huge stage, one that can be tweaked for perfect center fill.Tom

Well kidz, for the record I have never heard a Supratek product but I would really like to based on what I've read on this thread. Problem is there are no dealers or any other way to audition this product except to buy it factory-direct. Therein lies the rub. If Stereophile or TAS ran rave reviews of Supratek (BTW why don't they?) for months and then identified the manufacturer as one of their "Showcase Dealers" would any of you question their motives? (Like HP and Transparent cables for instance?). Endless testimonials endorsing a decent but insular product are the essence of captive marketing. Who knows how it stacks up? And who would send the thing back to Australia after a thousand posts ensure you have the deal of some century? I have nothing against Supratek or this thread but if you don't see the dynamics of QVC or HSN creeping into Audiogon then I will have no compunctions taking your money here as well.

Khrys, Would you be willing to pay twice the price (or more) for a Supratek preamp for the luxury of being able to hear it first?

A few weeks ago, Audiogon introduced the "Factory Direct" category and I think that is how Supratek first became involved in "advertising" on Audiogon. *I* can no longer find the "Factory Direct" category on Audiogon so I presume it was deleted for one reason or another and those who paid for the factory direct service were added to the "Showcase Dealer" category instead.

When I look at your system, I have trouble believing you were able to listen to each of your components before buying. *IF* you were able to listen to each component before buying, then I have to question your judgement since the way products sound in dealer showrooms is often far different than how they will sound in your system. *IF* you were able to audition the components at home, then I have to question the break-in factor - how much time did you allow for break-in and how long did you audition each component in your system before making the decision to purchase?

Or.. did you just read a review?

Or.. was it the pretty blue lights?