Preamp Deal of the Century

Opus88,
I think you're right saying, that some Supratek owners do not hear that glare, or their system's specifics would make it less noticeable (like for instance pairing Supratek with "old school" CJ power amp).
I do believe many people are just not sensitive to this particular issue, and there are some, who are not willing (consciously or unconsciously) to admit to it.
I did bring it up with Mick and Kevin Kovi for that matter.
I feel I annoyed the living hell out of both of them, but at the same time, I have to admit, that Mick was extra patient and understanding.
The bottom line, though, was - "Supratek is just showing you how your system actually sounds like, and if there are any objectionable issues- they should be attributed to other parts of the system chain, room included".
Also Mick mentioned to me, that Supratek measures ruler flat into any load presented by power amp, and I do tend to trust him on that one.
On the other hand, I don't think everything we hear is measurable, and certainly not in the context of the whole system and acoustic environment of the room.
While waiting for my Cortese and Mondeuse amps, I redesigned my dedicated basement with the help of very knowledgeable people of GIK Acoustics ( and using their acoustic panels}, completely changed the support system for my speakers, including switching Mapleshade cones to Herbie's accessories and removing lead shot from Von Schweikert speakers in favor of sand ( as a side note, Steve Herbelin, a propriator of Herbie's Audio Labs suggested, that lead, having it's own resonance frequency, can introduce an unwanted colorations to the speakers sound. A call to VonSchweikert Audio confirmed that- they are using 12.5 lbs of sand in each VR-4JR at the factory, as opposed to their manual advising 20-40 lbs. of lead shot in each).
I'm hoping that all these changes I introduced to my room and system will help to ameliorate the above midrange glare.
Temporary system, I'm using now (NuForce AVP-16 pre-pro and Butler power amp.) is completely devoid of the glare.
Again, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but if the issue will reappear again, it would be a major frustration, and financial loss.

Maril555...Yes, the argument that "other" factors are at work is the standard one. Sometimes, that assertion is accurate, sometimes it isn't. I do feel pretty confident though that Mick is correct here, and I too trust his judgment. I will continue to do my best in an effort to neutralize the bugaboo. My experiences with Mick have also been very positive. I've e-mailed him a number of times with various kinds of questions. He has always impressed me as having been forthright and concerned to help with any matters that have arisen. Incidentally, I too have a dedicated listening room. I always wanted one, and my wife was very supportive. Upon retirement, I had one built onto the house we purchased when we moved. I've fashioned my own acoustic materials, and they seem to work as well as those I fashioned some years back in my single days. Well, anyhow, here's to good listening. My fingers are crossed too.

I have never experienced any glare from my system when using the Syrah that I previously owned or from the Cortese that I now own. I am using a Berning ZH270 amp which is very revealing of any problems in the system. Everything sounds fantastic to my ears. As I have said before, tube rolling is a wast of time and money for me in my current system. I have not found any benefit from using NOS tubes in my Cortese. The biggest improvement that I have made to the sound of the Cortese has come from buying SRA iso bases for the Cortese and for it's power supply. I feel these are the best isolation bases you can get at any price and they have taken my system to new levels that I never dreamed of. This is the best $1200 I ever spent on my system. I will say that when I owned my Syrah I did feel that I benefited from NOS tubes, but I don't feel they are needed for great sound from the Cortese.

One other thought: Since every Supratek unit is individually made with point-to-point wiring, it is possible, at least in theory, to introduce some variability into the final product. Maybe Opus88 and myself just an unlucky few to own Supratek with this artifact.
It is a pure speculation on my part, though.

I read with extreme frustration these recent "glare" posts. Are you kidding me? Well,I guess all the owners who've made up the previous 56! pages of posts are just a bunch of mid fi hacks who just don't have the proper experiance or equipment to really show the obviously glaring faults of Supratek equipment.
"Consciously or unconsciously" is really beneath contempt.
What do the two of you actually mean by "glare"?
Certain frequencies?(which ones?)
What recordings?(please elaborate)
Solid state thinness?
Grain?
Have you tried other cables?
Have you tried different equipment combos?
The Supratek equipment isn't a tone control. Perhaps the two of you do share a certain sensitivity to certain frequencies.(Doubtfull)

Maril555-you at least sound like you've tried hard to shore up other areas,the GIK panels are excellent and should help tame or conquer the very large room influences.
Have you tried to pair the Supra with the Butler? I find it extremely hard to believe that a Nuforce pre is "glare"free while a Supra isn't?!?! What are you using to isolate your pre from your rack? Boston Audio Tuneblocks for me added a higher level of detail but made the sound thinner and what's considered "ss" like. Could be described as adding some glare perhaps.

Opus88-Apogee Diva has "glare". Yeah,right. I won't even begin to bring up how sensitive those speakers are to amps,cables,and the life long process of constantly moving them millimeter by millimeter to find the perfect spot. Yes,they're thinner sounding than Scinnies,what isn't?Oh,yes,I own multible pairs of Apogees BTW.
You seem to pride yourself in finding flaws where no one had the talent to before. And yes,I'm sure your homemade absorbtion panels are just as good as the professionally tested ones Glenn markets. Uh huh,must have "Golden Ears" while the rest of us are just struggling along with our "Lead Ears". ;^) Let's leave Stereofool out of this.

What isolation are the two of you using on your tubes? At least Herbies,I would hope.
I don't think either one of you are going to "fix" your problems by throwing tube combo after tube combo at it.
By all means feel free,when you get to the point where you've spent as much for tubes as you did for the pre,be sure to blame the pre as you seem to want to do now.

The only fault I can find that's been brought up by various long term owners is that perhaps the soundstage can be a little bit thinner front to back than a few other top line pres and that the stock remote option Alps volume control does add some veiling. The Dact unit does reportably sound better,but won't fit in the case. You picks your poison.

If either of you decide to sell your unit,you will lose a hell of a lot less on resale than for most units.
Take that to mean whatever you want,apparently us "conscious or unconscious" fools don't know what we're doing.

It's been a long day,I hope the both of you find solutions to your liking.