Preamp Deal of the Century

This is posted as a heads up to those of you still waiting for your preamps from Mick, if they are being shipped into the USA.

Make sure you provide Mick your Social Security Number or your EIN if you are a business, and insist that Mick include this info on the customs paperwork. Ask him to confirm with you that he did so. I sent him my information when I paid for mine but did not ask him for confirmation. As a result, my Chenin is stuck in Anchorage, Alaska in a customs delay for lack of either of those two numbers.

It seems that you also have to ask Mick for the FedEx tracking number as he doesn't send it if you don't ask. After failing to recieve mine in the 3-4 window last week. I emailed him tonight, got the tracking number saw that it was still in customs in Anchorage, called FedEx in Memphis, gave them my SS# and phone number. The agent I spoke with tonight was very helpful and said that now that the info was in the shipping data, it was her opinion that it could clear customs as early as tomorrow.

I thought by learning from another owner who went through the same thing, I could avoid it by supplying Mick the info up front with my payment and a follow up email.

Now- how long from Anchorage to the East Coast? Not to mention the Thanksgiving Day factor. Oh well, waited 8 months, another week won't kill me...

Slipnot,
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Call Fed Ex, explain what has happened and ask the favor of moving it to you by a late Wednesday afternoon delivery.
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They can move the shipment Monday night (assuming U.S. Customs does their thing on Monday) from Alaska to Memphis and then out from Memphis early Tuesday or Tuesday night and then possibly deliver to you on Wednesday.
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I would ask for a supervisor tonight (Sunday) or Monday AM first thing and see if they can push it through Customs early on Monday and beg them to move it Monday night.
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They do sometimes respond to emotional pleas. Do let them know it is a big deal to get it before Thanksgiving and how long you have been waiting.
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If all works out well, you can piss your family off by screwing around with your new Supratek instead of by watching a game.
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Rgds, Larry

Hi Gang. Jphii and Stiltskin, thank you for your kind words regarding my recommendation of the 6f6g as regulators in the suprateks. They still continue to be a revelation to me as well. Bwhite.... I am a little perplexed as to why the cv-181/ecc32's would cause that effect to the remote in your friends syrah, as I had none of these problems when installed in mine. That said..... I should clarify a few things here first. Although the cv181 and 6sn7 have the same pin out and can be substituted in "some" circuits.In actual fact....they are quite different electrically and one must be very careful here. The cv 181/ecc 32 has different electrical characteristics and parameters. The cv181/ecc32 has different mu,gm, bias points and also requires much higher heater current than a 6sn7. It also has close to 30% more gain then an american 6sn7, and will sound louder than the 6sn7 at equivalent gain level. Some will perceive this extra gain to sound better,fuller,etc . While I concurr that the bottle shaped ecc32 is a great sounding tube when optimally biased ....however, it should really be rebiased when used in the supratek and would sound even better if it was biased closer to it's optimum sweet spot. However... like a many tube circuits, "system synergy" is the optimum word here and is really what tube rolling is all about. Jpms.....regarding your concerns with gain and sensitivity issues of the cary 805c when paired with highly efficient speakers.I can assure you that there would never be an issue with any of the supratek gain options or gain configurations. The Cary 805c [when optimized and voiced with better tubes] has to be considered one of the finest sounding tubed amplifiers ever made and certainly top shelf by anyones standards.When paired with the Supratek, you have a synergy that is nothing short of breath taking! I use Tannoy Westminster [98db efficient] and powered them with the 805c for more than 3 years and I still kick myself for selling them. When I received my syrah [which has both a high gain/low gain switch]. I never had an issue with noise or any other glitch's with either gain setting. A very big caution here though; and a good example of what I was alluding to earlier! If you have acquired the cv181/ecc32 to substitute the 6sn7 in your supratek. Do "NOT" substitute these for the 6sn7 in the Cary 805c, the current draw for the cv181/ecc 32 is far to high for the filament transformer in the cary 805c and could damage both the amp and the tube!!!

Not many of these pieces show up used - about how many Supratek pre-amps have been sold in the good ole' USA? I guess they're so good no one ever lets them go?

Jumpin' Jehosaphat! My wife just called me at work to tell me the Chenin has arrived at our doorstep! I'm going home at lunch to unpack my new toy.....