Preamp Deal of the Century

Problem solved ,i dropped one of my 6sn7 tubes while changing them,worked good for a while,but they were causing the problem,because it affected both channels i did not think it was a tube,live and learn!

Simon, is your keyboard broken? All your 'I's are showing up as 'l's.

Mondie - 2 questions. how did the cabernet sound when you placed the bent between the source and cabernet and used the bent to attentuate the source signal instead of the cabernet's built-in attentuator? did you ever get around to rolling tubes in the cabernet?

normally it is a good thing when a component does not leave an identified signature on the music. unless i am misreading your last post it sounds like like system matching was a problem.

Has anyone tried the 5Y3 tube in the rectifier postion on your Supratek? My niece's husband Carl bought an old tube radio at an antique store to gut it and turn it into a speaker cabinet for his guitar amp. Inside the radio were some old tubes covered with dust. One of the tubes was a Tung Sol 5Y3. Carl cleaned the tube up and brought it over thinking maybe I could use it. I put it in the rectifier position along with 6f6g's as regulators and Sylvania VT-231's in the line stage. WOW! I was blown away from the first note. This tube tested good in my friends tester, but has probably not been played in 45 or 50 years.

I played the remastered cd of Brian Bromberg's It's About time first. The speed at which Brian is playing the upright bass is amazing and this tube compliment really brought that forward. Freddie Hubbard's Flugalhorn on track 6 has the most beautiful tone. Brian's bass is very articlulate and very deep. Next I played Johnny A's Get Inside CD. The sound from top to bottom is the best I have heard form my Syrah! I have not even put in my Tung Sol round plates. This tube combo is better than the 6f6g's, Tung Sol round plates, and Bendix 6106 combo that I have been using. A big thanks goes out to Carl for bringing this tube over for me to try. KILLER SOUND! ABSOLUTE KILLER!

Slowhand - the 5y3 is a directly-heated full-wave rectifier. like all directly-heated recitifier it doesn't have a slow startup. this means that every time you power on the preamp you are stripping the cathodes. it damages your tubes and i believe the preamp's capacitors also. the sound you describe is typical of directly-heated recitifiers. most people prefer the sound of directly-heated recitifiers. if you choose to continue using it i wouldn't power the preamp down.