Timchen I have noted your distant but obvious interest in this pre-amp. You have certainly been keeping your eye on this thread. I'm going to give you my complete unbiased opinion based on a few hours of listening to the line stage.
The Sarah is at once dynamic, resolving, smooth, with great bass and just amazing immediacy. This is just an initial impression but will be lasting because it is immediately obvious how special it is, especially at the price point but not only because of that fact. The pre isn't even close to being broken in so these are early impressions compared to a CAT SL-1, older but with good tubes and a few modern upgrades. Yes the CAT is smoother now because it is settled in. But I sure can hear the intrinsic character of the Sarah and I know it is going to improve as it breaks in.
I initially felt the Supratek would have to be mighty good to replace the CAT in a manner that would not have me second guessing if I would make the right decision. The only reason I bought this pre was because of the accolades of experienced audiophiles and the price. After 10 minutes of listening to the Supratek, out of the box, new tubes, not even broken in I'll tell you, it will put a smile on your face, a no brainer, simple decision and validates once again my faith and belief in concensus among my fellow audiophiles.
I expect that some of the users that are selling are doing so for various reasons including finding something better. But I'll tell ya something Tim, if someone can direct me to a full function active pre-amp for anywhere close to 2.5K that has the extraordinary musicality and capability this pre does, I would be interested in hearing about it. Don't think twice Tim, unless you are prepared to spend at least twice as much or more. I truly don't believe you'll find it.
