Supratek Owners Thread

The 6J5 pulls half the heater current (.3ma) of a SN7 (.6ma)..   BUT, you have 2 of them per channel vs 1 sn7 so the total heater current draw is the same.  This does not effect the longevity of the tube provided it is being run at or close to the 6.3V spec.    In regards to the circuit and how the tube is driven/operated (ie, B+/bias),  it will be very similar as to how Mick runs the SN7 based pre's.   All in all,  they are all run very conservatively.    You'll find that any NOS tube stock (generally speaking),  especially that from the 60's and before to have very long life in Mick's pre amps,.. Tubes just aren't made like they used to be.   Newer Chinese manf. stuff,  not so much.  They can die (and do) with very few hours on them (comparatively speaking).

jslateiv,

I appreciate you taking the time to explain that to me. It makes sense. 

Do you use a Supratek?

I do,..  Cortese LCR,  but am going to move to a Grange when Mick has time to make it.   Also have an older Chardonnay I picked up that I am currently refurbing to bring up to current spec/circuit.   It doesn't have a remote so will probably add that as well.  May keep, may sell once I'm done.  Not sure yet.   I handle most of the state side repairs for Mick to keep owners from having to ship all the way back to AU. My bench/services have been down the last 3 months due to a move but am back up and running now.    Generally speaking, his pre's are very solid and rarely need work.  He did have an issue recently with a bad batch of transformers that caused him a nightmare.  That has since been sorted out though.  I believe that there are a few users that posted here who unfortunately had some of those units (only about 6 in total,  a few made it to the US)..

@jslateiv
Can you speak to the question of how a circa ~2004 Chenin model would compare to a current-spec Cortese? I have a friend who listened to my Cortese LCR, wanted to order one for himself, then found out about the 4-month wait time. The he found a used Chenin and he’s going to go with that for at least a while...

Markus

Hey @markusthenaimnut    I dont believe that I have listened to Chenin specifically.   I have had a few of the older units,  Grange, Syrah and Chardonnay come through.   They all sound wonderful once within spec.   Without seeing the insides,  it's hard to know what was used in the build and or the circuit Mick used at the time.   Some of the older units had Electrolytics in the PS and there is a possibility that it could be close to time for a refresh there.  Any of these like this get replaced with good PP's that will last till the end of days.   Beyond that,  Mick's circuits are solid and I wouldn't expect any issue unless a CCS fet failed (if used) and even those are almost bomb proof.   Back to your question though,..    what I have found is that the older designs (generally speaking) compared to his latest stuff have a little heavier or thicker sound to them.  Not in a bad way but maybe just not quiet as resolving or having that 'nth degree of jump factor.  At this point its really getting down to system dependency and what works better with the associated gear.  I think anyone could live happy with any of the circuits including his older ones,..    The difference is more akin to spice selection when cooking..