2. amps-preamps
  3. 150142-72263

Supratek Owners Thread

Greetings All - 
It appears that the 26-million-plus view, multi-decade "Preamp Deal of the Century" Supratek thread has been removed. I'm not sure why, but suppose there must be a reasonable explanation.
In any case, on that thread I recently asked whether there might be interest in a "Supratek owners thread" and received some interest. 
The purpose of this thread is for Supratek owners to share the details of their system, ask questions, share information about any tube-rolling they have done, and so forth.
I'll kick us off here with a few details about my system -
ancient Linn LP12 with Ittok arm, Dynavector 17D3 cartridge into Cortese LCR phono stage
Power amp is a fully serviced Innersound Electrostatic amplifier
Quad ESL63 speakers (not USA monitors) or JBL 4430 studio monitors
Digital sources are immature and evolving - ancient Fostex CR300 cd player/burner
DacMagic 100 DAC
Nordost Blue Heaven 75ohm interconnect
Due to the fairly long lengths of speaker wire required in the new listening room, speaker wire is Belden 12 gauge wire designed for low-voltage outdoor lighting systems. 
Next steps - dedicated circuit, new power cords, new interconnects, new wires.
128x128markusthenaimnut
highstream
207 posts
 
The thread was at head-fi and the response I got about where the LTA Microzotl preamps stand on a cool-to-warm continuum were either clearly "neutral" or hard to decipher (pg 7-8):
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/microzotl-3-by-linear-tube-audio-true-high-end-audio.895908/page-7

Here’s the message I got re the Cabernet, and it was a dual:
"I did like it quite a lot but have returned to my PS Audio BHK Reference. Both are really good but the BHK has better dynamics and immediacy... in my system."


jackd
1,071 posts
 
Here's my two cents from owning the Chardonnay for a little over a month and the BHK for over two years plus having several friends that have owned the Micro-Zotl preamps. First from every report I have heard from owners I know the LTA is on the cooler side of neutral.  In my system using the BHK amp the Chardonnay has easily beaten the BHK preamp in terms of tone and sound staging from the time it came out of the box.  If someone is having a problem with the Supratek preamps in terms of "drive" then they need to check the rake angle on their speakers and turn the gain on the preamp up.  My BHK preamp is going up for sale as no matter how good it is it can't keep up with the Chardonnay and I can only imagine what the Cabernet would bring to the table.  
coachpoconnor's avatar
coachpoconnor
380 posts
 
I am considering purchasing a used Supratek Sauvignon to use with my Pass XA-25. Any comments, suggestions?
highstream
207 posts
 
The Sauvignon is not a current model, at least per the website. I noticed the older (early) one being sold by Echo Audio in the States, but Mick said the cost of bringing it up to date + shipping would be more than the cost of a new Cabernet, which is the model that I think replaced it. I’ve got an order in for a Chardonnay, but am still mulling over switching it. If I were to, it seems like the Cab single is not worth it unless one lives nearby.
rwolters's avatar
rwolters
7 posts
 
Hi Guys,
I've been following this thread and investigating the Supratek line stage preamps. I've also reviewed some of the great information Mick has posted in his blog entries. It seems that there are a lot of satisfied owners of these preamps. But, when it comes to picking between the Chardonnay, Cabernet, and Cortese, which is the right choice, and why? I know they all look great, and are all Gen 3 designs. Price wise they range from $2500 to $4000. So, the price differences are not all that huge. It's not like one is $2500 and the next one is $10k. Can anyone provide some insight in choosing one over the other? Thanks very much.
Bob
More to discover