Preamp Deal of the Century

Hello Gang.It seems most supratek owners have rolled out the stock tubes for various brands of nos tubes to "synergize" their systems. The older gt versions of the 6sn7's seem to be the tube of choice and rightly so.Phono tubes as well. A lot of people just do not realize that the voltage regulators and the rectifiers can have as much or more of an influence on the sound of their choice of tubes.One would think[by reputation and cost] the various nos mullard family of 5ar4/gz34's would be "the" choice for rectification. The lgendary mullards are great to be sure however.... there are a whole slew of nos rectifiers choices out there that can be had for a fraction of the cost of a nos mullard gz-34--- and many of them sound as good or even better! As far as the mullard family of rectifiers go...I personally think the Gz-33 sounds better than the GZ-34 in the syrah and is typically 1/2 the cost.I have an old 5v4g shoulder type rectifier [labelled Philco] that sounds better than all of the mullards...GZ32,gz33 and Gz34! I have 2 nos versions of the 5z4 that also sound terrific. These can typically be purchased for under $10 each.The best of the bunch in my system is the Bendex Redbank 6106. This tube is electrically equivalent to the 5y3g family of rectifier tubes but also indirectly heated with a slow power up to minimilize cathode stripping.Rectifiers "DO" make a difference!Especially in the depth department.When using the bendex.... the bass is better resolved,faster,more articulate and more extended than any of the mullards.The air between the instruments and performers on stage is also noticibly much more apparent.... lending itself to a better focus of each individual instrument or musician.The "tone" thing has more to do with the choice of the 6sn7 of course.However you can refine the "tone" of your nos Tung sol's,kenrads,and sylvanias with a good rectifier.Mullard's are great and will probably outlast you or the preamp... however, there are other nos choices out there that make great music with the supratek.Voltage Regulators??? Yes... they make a difference as well,just not to the extent of the rectifiers.The older 5881's and 6L6g's seem to sound a little more relaxed than the 6L6gb's or gc's,but can also sound a little soft when used with the ken-rad vt-231's or Rca grey glass vt-31's.The genelec Kt-66 as voltage regulators makes almost any 6sn7 sound wonderful[exclude the sovtek]. Of course ---the Western Electric 350b is the "King" of any of the 6L6 family of tubes and if you can afford them[or find them]they are "THE" tube of choice for voltage regulators and will outlive you and the rest of your equipment to boot!You really haven't heard the real tone of your tung-sol rounds until you regulate them with a pair of the Westrex 350b and a good rectifier! But start with the rectifier first.Hey!...wouldn't the world would be a very dull place without music???... enjoy! Cheers David.

David, I agree. I have been through all of the regulators and the WE 350 B's are the cats meow.

Hi Steve,

Thanks so much for posting your thoughts on Supratek. I agree with you completely! Mick is a first rate guy. He was great to deal with and he does take care of his customers. He always answers e-mail quickly and in terms you can understand. I had hoped to buy his new Burgandy amps, but I am not able to afford them. I have spoken to Mick about them as he was designing and testing them. I am sure they sound as incredible as the pres do. Good news though, as I found an amp that I could afford that is a beautiful match to the Syrah. It is the David Berning ZH270 amp. Like the Supratek, it has a very clear, liquid sound. It is very neutral sounding with a beautiful midrange and bass that you would not believe is coming from a tube amp. I highly recommend this amp for Supratek pre owners who need more power than Mick's SET amps and can't afford the cost of the new Burgandy amp. By the way, I like Mick's new website. You just can't go wrong with Mick Maloney and his beautiful equipment. I do however feel that NOS tubes do make a difference in the sound of my Syrah, as long as the tubes are quiet. Steve, you are a very lucky guy, getting to test Mick's designs and being able to know and deal with such a great guy directly.

I agree Steve. You can go overboard on spending money on tubes, which is why I wait for a good deal to show up. With the Ken-Rad, Tung-Sol, and Sylvania tubes, I feel I have a good choice of sound in the line stage. I have a Bendex 6106 coming to me to try in the Rectifier. I am told it is much better than the Mullard GZ34 I am now using. We shall see. I think the reason people love tube rolling the Supratek is because the pre is so sensitive to tube changes tht you can tailor the sound to your system. I think we will all agree that Mick's preamps and amps for that matter, will stand up against anything out there. You may be able to buy better, but you are sure going to spend a lot of money to do it.

It's amazing to see so much discussions on the Supratek preamp. My friend thought I was crazy when he knew I've bought a $5K preamp without hearing it. Frankly, I wouldn't have done it if I haven't come across this thread. Thank you guys for all the information.

I've been using the Cortese for more than one month now and I'm still crazy about it. I'm running out of superlatives to describe the sound of the Cortese. All I can say is that everything is so musical and real. Isn't it wonderful if you can actually feel the emotion of the violin player in a concerto?

I agree with Steve that the stock tubes sound pretty good in the Supratek. The 6N8P is really respectable and you won't feel lacking of anything. However, if you can get hold of some decent NOS 6SN7 at good price then it's worth giving it a try. I'm using Ken Rad VT231 and I'm happy with it. As for the phono stage, get yourself a pair of WE 417a and TFK cca then you can sit back, relax and enjoy the music!

Happy listening to all Supratek owners!

Steven C