2. amps-preamps
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Preamp Deal of the Century

If anyone is looking for a true "World Class" preamp at a very fair price..heed my advice. I just recieved a Supratek Syrah preamp that was hand built by Mick Maloney in Western Australia, and it is absolutely beautiful! This preamp is the best deal you will ever find. I would put it up against any preamp out there for both looks and sound. Price? $2500 for the Syrah (includes Killer Phono stage). Not into phono? Try the Chardonney line stage for $2100. Don't get me wrong, I am not associated with this company. I am just a very happy owner! This preamp is VERY dynamic, yet liquid. It conveys the sound of music better than any other preamp that I have ever heard! You can check out the Supratek website at www. cantech.net.au
slowhand
highstream
207 posts
 
They come with a remote and both have volume knobs. Here's what Mick said when I asked about the difference:
"The circuit is the same, it uses expensive transformers and capacitors. Its different sounding, whether its worth the extra expense is subjective .
Its still very good value, better than some $20K preamps I’ve heard."

Take a look at http://www.supratek.com.au/ and also the guide to choosing a preamp page. The price page says remote.
markusthenaimnut's avatar
markusthenaimnut
371 posts
 
T_ramey,
On my cortese gain is adjustable and there is a switch to take the gain control out of the circuit if it's not needed. I think this is common across all of the preamps.
t_ramey
632 posts
 
Thanks @markusthenaimnut  

Any idea what stock caps Mick uses? He told me the Cabernet has upgraded caps and transformers but I never asked him what those were. 

Between having a separate power supply chassis, adjustable gain from a simple knob, and being able to roll various 5v rectifier tubes I’m thinking a Supratek preamp is a great choice for me. 
hicham
39 posts
 
@ t_ramey, i see no reply came to your question, i too like always to learn.May i ask you what could be of satisfactory caps for you? Also what caps that you woud not be impressed to know? Thanks


t_ramey
632 posts
 
Hi hicham
I had no idea a cap could make such an audible difference until recently I changed out the Mundorf silver caps in my preamp to Vcap ODAM. I was pleasantly surprised by the added clarity and increase in overall musicality and enjoyment I was hearing. The ODAM caps from Vcap are “relatively” cheap compared to the likes of Jupiter and Duelund and they’re much smaller than other caps I’ve seen so they can fit in just about any application. This is really the only experience I have in hearing different caps.
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