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Supratek or Don Sachs - which way to go?

I'm preparing to replace my SS preamp with a tube unit and have read with great interest many threads on this board. This is where I learned about Don Sachs model 2 preamps. They sound like what I'm looking for and those who own them consistently express their satisfaction with them.

Now I've just been reading and learning about the Supratek lineup. Wow. These also sound like fantastic works of art. Leaving me with a new question about which way to go. 

Thoughts? Advice? Experience? Anyone care to share?
128x128markusthenaimnut
lsohn43
1 posts
 
I have both a Don Sachs phono stage and one of his preamps.   The preamp is probably an early model, one of the first with remote.

Both are superb.   

Because of the pricing of Don's equipment there is a tendency to add "for the money" to review comments.
While it is true that Don's gear costs less than some comparable equipment that should not be the driver of the buying decision.
For instance, I also have a Pass XP 20 preamp which cost, new, so much that I would rather not say in case my wife's people are monitoring my Agon activity.
I keep both preamps because I like to change the sound of my system now and then....my wife still works so I can do this during the day and she does not notice.
Is one better than the other?
All I can say is that they are different.    And that I am glad I am lucky enough not to have to make a choice.
I will say that Don's preamp is by a large margin the best tube preamp I have had in my system, and I have had a few.
Don is a class act, always found him to be helpful and straightforward and goes out of his way to help a customer.   I have asked many stupid questions, sometimes about equipment other than his own and he always takes the time to answer.





markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut OP
371 posts
 
I have not listened to either.
rlb61
789 posts
 
I have heard Don's preamp and it sounds really great. Also, he is a very nice and fair guy, who is happy to answer questions promptly.
gkr7007's avatar
gkr7007
154 posts
 
Bought a Don Sachs all in preamp a couple years back.  Every component upgrade I've down has been a incremental increase in sound that I wanted to hear.....until I slid the Don Sachs into my system.  It was one of those moments that just had me smiling on every tune I listened to.  I havent heard the other pre's mentioned.  But I will say that there were posts where folks said they wanted the guts of the unit to look good.  All this time I thought this was an audio experience, not visual.  I'll be damned before I'll choose a component for looks rather than sound.  And I will say I have a cousin with a Supratec in another State also coupled with some very nice equipment and he swears by it.
We both would love to swap out to compare in each of our systems but distance makes it impractical.  Good luck with your choice.
bigkidz
3,392 posts
 

I am in the camp with point-to-point wiring.  Since repairing audio components for many years the majority of repairs were caused by heat and circuit boards.  Think Melos and Counterpoint for starters.  Neatness is nice but I have seen many designs were the lower voltage and higher voltage wires and neatly tied together.  Also, most of the point-to-point designs can be upgrade with better parts to improve the sound of the unit with ease.  My experience includes rebuilding power amps with PTP wiring such as Counterpoint, CJ, etc.  In every case, the PTP rebuild sounded better that the circuit board.  That does not mean that a circuit board design cannot sound good, it is just my opinion.  My designs are all PTP wired though for what I believe is a better way to build a component.  BTW, I have also modified a few Supratek  preamps early designs.  I have not seen one in many years for repair or modification/upgrade.


In comparing 6SN7 tube and 6DJ8/6922 designs they both can sound excellent.  IMO only, the smaller tubes has a very sweet mid-range with an alive sound that can become a little shouty or harsh when pushed somewhat.  The 6SN7 typically offers a more relaxed sound, slightly less alive sound, but more 3D soundstage.  Both can sound excellent.  To me the biggest sound improvement comes with the DHT preamp tube designs.  The DHT IMO is a cross between the best qualities of SS and tubes.  You get the dynamics, speed of the smaller tube with the 3D soundstage and sweetness of the larger tube.  I also build both designs with the 6SN7 easier to build versus the DHT design.

Again, these are just my opinions and they are generalizations to emphasis the sound and possibly help others understand why things sound the way they do.


I hope my posts are helpful to some.  Happy Listening.


You can see my work on my Audiogon page.

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