Preamp Deal of the Century

Hi Bwhite, I just ordered a Cabernet from Mick, on reputation only. Have you seen or heard one? I have not been able to get much information anywhere on the Cabernet and would love for someone to tell me I made a great choice!

Thf & Larryrosen - Sorry, I don't have any experience with the Cabernet but would expect it to outperform the Cortese (Sauvignon) line stage particularly due to a better / more refined power supply. I've read good things about the new PX4 tube version and also heard there is a 300B option for the preamp which should sound fantastic!

One of the BIG benefits I'd expect to find in the Cabernet is the use of four regulator tubes in the power supply. I'd imagine this would give tremendous flexibility to tweaking the sound of the unit. For example, we Syrah/Chardonnay and Cortese/Sauvignon users only get two power supply regulator tubes to play with. These tubes impact the sound tremendously! Many (like I) have settled on the Western Electric 350B as the best tube but....in my view, there is something to be said for the Genalex KT66 also. The 350B is powerful and seemingly very accurate sounding but can be a bit harsh if the music calls for it. Sometimes accuracy (and associated harshness) can diminish from the overall enjoyment of listening. The Genalex Gold Lion KT66 on the other hand is a bit more rounded and seductive - something about it sucks a listener in to the music - very, very involving. In my mind, the best setup would be a combination of these tubes vs. one or the other.

I find I listen less often with the 350B's while with the KT66's, I find myself engaged for long periods of time all the while realizing that what I hear may not be exactly faithful to the original recording. Something tells me the 350B/KT66 combo in a Cabernet or Grange would be heaven sent! That alone would make the Cabernet a great choice!

Personally I am thinking of asking Mick to make me a Cabernet/Grange power supply for my Cortese.... or even a "dual mono" power supply!

Ecclectique - thank you very much. I'm actually looking forward to the move to Charlotte. The difference in cost of living should afford me a great listening space!

Thanks! I am new to tube rolling and on his web site, Mick discourages it. How much improvement over the stock tubes could I expect?

Hello Larry. Congratulations on your new Supratek. I can appreciate Mick's take on tube rolling as many users with little or no experience with vacuum tubes can mess things up very easily with the use of improper substitutes,weak, tired or bad tubes and such.All the Supratek preamps are very precision instruments and designed with the tubes employed to operate within the specific voltages, tolerances and parameters of the tubes used in his circuit. That said: The supratek preamps are rather sensitive to the quality of the tubes used in the circuit and will certainly respond to a specific tubes sonic signature to "voice" the preamp in your system. I know the thread here is an extremely long one to read back through Larry but it would be in your best interest to browse back for references as many tubes will elevate the bar to a whole higher level than the stock tubes supplied with the preamp. You may want to type in my handle or Bwhites to reference our observations.Hope this helps.