The Chardonnay is a more "classic/romantic" tube sound while the Cabernet is more neutral to my ears. Your Sachs, which I also still have sitting around, is somewhere in the middle but closer to the Cabernet. Either of the Supratek's are easier to match with amps due to the gain adjustments as opposed to the Sachs' fixed 18db gain.
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.
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.
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- 532 posts total
Thanks @jackd . If the Cabernet is even less warm and tubey than the Sachs, I might be better off with the Chardonnay. My system has a little bit of an electrostatic tonal balance. A little extra mid bass warmth and lower midrange presence would be nice. The Chardonnay isn't as syrupy as a '50s preamp is it? Thanks, aldnorab |
No not at all like that and you can change the character of the Chardonnay quite a bit depending on the tubes you pick. Another benefit is it's not as tube finicky as the first slot on the Sachs. I've had multiple pairs of tubes that played fine in the Supratek's but not the Sachs. If you made me choose just one not knowing what the future could hold in terms of amps it would likely be the Chardonnay. Others may pick the other way. |
Order is in to Mick for a powder coat Chardonnay. I paid extra for the domes. Gotta have the domes for that Supratek look. Appreciate all the patience and help from the people in this thread. Especially lately from @jslateiv @jackd , and of course the thread starter @markusthenaimnut . Thanks everyone, aldnorab |
- 532 posts total