What's after Supratek

well, i ended up getting a great price on a VAC Renaissance pre w/ MM/MC phono, so I went with it... and sold the Syrah. Worked out well financially, we'll see how it fares sonically!

Dennis, The VAC Renaissance is a very good preamp. Please let us know what you think.

Well, I've been living with the VAC for a bit. It's more transparent, and more neutral. Bad recordings don't sound as good, excellent ones sound amazing. I think the stock tubes are a little thin sounding, I'm looking for some Mullards 12ax7 for the phono stage, hoping this fills in a bit of body.

The soundstage is more focused than the Syrah, and more 3 dimensional. It is faster than the Syrah, but maybe not quite as dynamic. It is definitely more open and transparent, and I thought the Syrah was already very open. Definitely more immediate sounding.

I'm finding myself wanting to adjust my speaker position a bit, as the soundstage is now more clearly defined and this positioning is now becoming more critical.

All in all, I'm pleased, though I do find myself missing some of the coloration that I now realize I had with the Syrah/Urushi setup. (I am now using a Shelter 501mk2 as I just was too paranoid about having a $4k cart)

You guys should seek out the Exemplar Revelation II, $2500, line stage. Certainly it does not have the excellent Supratek phono stage, but it is very dynamic and transparent and quiet. It is the best sounding tube line stage that I have heard with the exception of the Kondo M100.

I have received emails from an individual who has heard both the Exemplar and the H-Cat and he said he had never heard such garbage (I'm paraphrasing). I have no dog in this fight, but I trust and respect the opinion of the source.

Tbg (Norm) are you still a dealer for Exemplar? (I know you were listed as a dealer on their website at one time). I am sure very few are aware of that fact! As I recall, an AA board member warned you to register as a dealer and to stop saleshacking for Exemplar on the Asylum.

And do you have any financial or personal arrangement with Roger (H-Cat)?

Several "good ears" who have heard both the Exemplar and H-Cat have had wildly varying experiences (bad) as compared to yours. As I said in an earlier post, maybe some people may prefer another preamp over the Supratek, but I don't ever remember anyone saying a Supratek sounded, weird, strange, unnatural, etc. as some have described the H-Cat. But then again, I suspect they have no "incentive" to report anything other than the facts.

Tbg, one minute its, "You guys should seek out the Exemplar Revelation II, $2500, line stage", the next minute everyone should own an H-Cat.

Either disclose all of your ties to these companies or please stop the saleshacking.

Usually I don't give a rat's patootie about dealers not disclosing their affiliations here, but your non-stop saleshacking is just annoying.