Supratek vs. Thor?

Being a Thor owner ( T1000 and TPA30 ) my guess is since there recently have been some new changes to the Thor peices
the mk1 peices or mk1 pieces upgrade to mk11 status are usually priced very reasonable.I have an older mk1 and still love the peice but must admit some of the prices on less than 2 year old stuff is hard to pass up. As far as the quality/sound value. Great! As far as the look? You'll have to decide for yourself. I find the new stuff drop dead gorgeuos myself...

The Thor is a great preamp. Unbelievable bass and exceptional at passing the input through without coloration. These prices are bargains. The Supratek would have to be darn good to beat it. The Thor is gorgeous in black with gold accents. Plain jane is an inaccurate description of it's appearance.

I've owned them both, and I preferred the Thor: easily as fast as the Syrah, but tonally richer, with more heft and authority. With its round chassis Thor is hardly a plain Jane, as poster above suggests, but I agree Syrah is the ultimate looks champ. As to resale, look at the buzz: the drumbeaters have outdone themselves with threads such as "preamp of the century" here on Agon--so of course your Syrah is a much easier sale when the time comes. And the Syrah has a very good phono stage (although I used mine with outboard phono stages) while the TA 1000 is line only. At this level I've found there is a bit of "sideways" to most of the changes I make, as system synergy and personal preferences come into play. The Syrah offers a nuanced delicacy and speed that's surprising at the price--if the rest of your system fills out the sonic picture. The Thor offers weight and richness (with speed) that was a better fit for me.

Thanks for all the responses. I think the Thor is pretty cool looking and not plane jane. I know it's a line stage, I was thinking about getting it and then later picking up a great standalone phono stage. So I'll spend the Thanksgiving holiday pondering this potential change. Happy holidays to all!

I have never heard the Supratech, but, I did compare the Thor TA 1000 mk ii, to the Exemplar Exception, and felt the exception bettered it in transparancy, bass, sounstage, and listenability. The Exception is gorgeous, and is only a line stage. You should really check it out, cause at the price point it cannot be beat. I use a pair of E1800CC Amperex PW rated at 10,000 hours, so tubes are not an issue. I am also waiting for my new Exception to be completed with siltech wiring, and REMOTE control, which is wonderful for when the wife is yelling, TURN IT DOWN.