Couple thoughts.
1. I kinda might have been where you are now, about three years ago. I had owned Naim gear, and been satisfied, for a couple of decades plus. BUT, I knew that tube gear would sound better. Not just "different", but better. Better in a musically significant way. But where the f**k to start? Geez! So many well known, well regarded brands. So many enthusiasts. So many different kinds of tubes.
I consider myself lucky to have randomly bumped into someone on one of the many Fora that I was obsessively reading who recommended that I look for a 6SN7 based preamp. I had no idea what he was talking about. But i read more, I sought to learn. I ran across this same thread and scratched my head. I loved the enthusiasm. And lots of guys were saying they’d arrived at Supratek after owning many of the other well known and well regarded brands that I was thinking about. The fact that they voted with their wallets made an impression on me. And the fact that many of them said they considered their search "done" resonated with me. I hate shopping for equipment. I hate the stress. The self doubt. The misgivings. Second thoughts. The potential for buyers remorse. Reading the thread, along with many others here and elsewhere, helped me learn more about myself. And the kind of listener and audiophile I am. I’m kind of a "set it and forget it" kind of guy, BUT the other super important question that must be considered is this one. "How good does it have to be?" The answer (IMNSHO) is "good enough that you don’t think about "I wonder how this could be better?"" Simply speaking, the goal should be superlative performance. That’s what we’re looking for, right? And value, of course, however you might define that.
Ok, that counts as one thought. But I could write a lot more about this subject...
2. Regarding the comment above that "his gear has a reputation for lasting". Well...Shee---yeah it does. It has a transferable LIFETIME warranty. Huh? Say wha...? You heard me right.
Can’t help myself. Gotta’ ramble. Gonna keep going here.
During my career I traveled extensively. Eating out was a constant thing. But *one time* I got lucky and ran across a "Chaîne des Rôtisseurs" restaurant. Frankly, the food was totally next level. Really up there. It was so good I had to talk to the chef. Turned out there were two. The owners. I learned a lot. About quality. And dedication.
Basically, they didn’t care at all about growing their restaurant. Getting bigger. Their restaurant was not large. All they wanted to do was cook. That was what they enjoyed. All the other stuff required to run a business? Do ya’ gotta’ do it? Yeah. But keep it in it’s proper perspective. It’s proper place. Don’t let it take all the fun out of doing what you love to do. The "Chaîne des Rôtisseurs" is basically a bunch of restaurants that are run by the same kind of dedicated, somewhat insane, fanatics who just want to cook the very best food they can. That’s where their fulfillment comes from.
To me, Mick Maloney and Supratek, along with a small number of other dedicated hard-core builders, are like those "Chaîne des Rôtisseurs" chefs who schooled me so long ago. You’ll find these builders referred to with deep respect, almost in the same hushed, fanatical, reverent tones. Not all of them are still in business. Some have chose to move on to other occupations. A pity, because their equipment is at that "next level" I’m talking about.
They just like building great stuff! Almost all of them are tiny, boutique builders. Hand built. Point to point wiring. Solid, solid design. Superb execution. FANTASTIC SOUND. Am I saying Supratek is the best? No. I have no basis upon which to express such an opinion, nor, do I believe, does anyone else. There’s simply too much equipment out there, much of it very good, to hear it all. Should it matter that long-term Stereophile reviewer Dick Olsher owns a Supratek? Probably not, but I like it that he does. He can probably own, or obtain on long-term loan, any piece of equipment he desires, from anywhere in the world, regardless of cost.
One final thing to say in this long, rambling, hard-to-follow post. I paid more for my Supratek than I’ve paid for almost anything I’ve ever bought, other than a couple of cars and the houses I’ve lived in. Most of my cars over the last 40 years cost me less than my Supratek. Ya’ know what? I’ve never, not even once, not ever never ever, had one tiny particle of buyers remorse. I’ve only ever had long term satisfaction and gratitude to God that I ended up being in the position where I could afford it and it was available.
So no, I don’t think you’re crazy to be considering a Supratek. I think you’re saving yourself a lot of money, time and hassle.
Just thought of one last thought to share. You *might* be thinking "if Supratek stuff is so good, how come I never see any of it reviewed in the magazines?" Well, consider that Mick’s always sold out and has a waiting list. So do many of the other so highly regarded small-boutique builders. He doesn’t advertise. Doesn’t need to. There’s absolutely no incentive for a magazine to review his stuff. They’ll never earn a penny from him advertising. What does he need? A longer waiting list? Why? Better to keep the public chasing that "next greatest thing" and churning through upgrades that are really side-grades and distractions. After all, if people bought equipment and were satisfied with it, and it lasted forever, where would the industry be?
