Supratek Owners Thread

@aldnorab 

I've owned a Chardonnay for going on three years, the latest Sachs for almost two years and a Cabernet 8SN7 for just a couple of months.  The Cabernet and Chardonnay at this time are in different house in different systems in different states so haven't had a chance to do a side by side comparison yet.  Going off of my experience with the Chardonnay versus the small time I've spent with the Cabernet my take on the differences between the two are that the Chardonnay is a smoother more comfortable classic tube sound while the Cabernet is a more lively sound more to the neutral side. I guess some people would say that equals more dynamic but it's just different.  They are different circuit designs and as the Cabernet gets more hours on it some of it's characteristics may change slightly but don't think it will ever be as "warm" sounding as the Chardonnay.  It will come down to what you are looking for and how you think it will fit with your current or future equipment.  One clear advantage I have found though with both Supratek's over the Sachs is with the tubes.  Tubes that are unacceptable to me in the Sachs in terms of noise play fine in the Supratek units.  Also the options of either balanced or SE outputs and adjustable gain are an important factor to me as I tend to swap amps around. 

Jack summed it up nicely.  Smooth/classic vs. more dynamic/lively.   Its subtle but instantly noticeable and interestingly both still very much retain that ‘Supratek’ house sound.  Mostly likely due to the regulators.  A feature very few other builders incorporate.  Couple that with the ease of repairs due to P-P wiring and you have sonic pieces of art that can literally be handed down for decades to come and will sound as good if not better 50 years from now with only some very minor maintenance. 

@aldnorab 

As to the different finishes the only differences are the cost and the fact that in the current supply chain environment the copper/chrome finishes will result in what could be a much longer wait time.  I prefer the black chassis finish anyway so I have one with a black case and one with the Jarrah wood case. They don't sound any different.  The Supratek's will be my last preamp and all the others will eventually be for sale. Would love to hear Aric's take on the 6SN7 preamp but not going to buy one just for an audition. 

@firstgrowth can you please explain a little bit about what you mean by you "rewired everything"? It sounds like you had to rebuild the preamp. I'm guessing that what you meant was that you simply reconnected everything in your system and re-seated the tubes. And sorted out the switch. Is this correct?

Yes, exactly.  I unplugged everything and started as if it came from the box in case I missed something.  I was trying to eliminate any variables.