Preamp Deal of the Century

my syrah is finally here. i'm just getting it settled in, and am initially impressed. the two best qualities about the pre for me are clearly it's dynamic energy (it just sounds totally unhindered), and it's smoooth presentation. i have a feeling i'll hear more as i continue to listen...

btw, from some initial tube rolling, my favorite 6SN7 is a round plate black glass tung-sol, NOT the kenrad black glass vt231 (which was a little dull compared to the tungsol, and noisy). i was surprised... i mean, that black glass kenrad is AWESOME in my vac 70/70.

i also have some national union black glass vt231 and sylvania 6SN7W (not the metal base) that i've tried: the NUs were along the same lines as the kenrad, but maybe a little darker, and the sylvania were on the dry side. the tungsol is a really nicely balanced tube for this pre, and is QUIET.

in my all tube system,i found the mullard gz 33,tung sol 5881,tung sol blacked out ,round plate 6sn7's,rca 6fq5a,and we417a to be the best combination.tube rolling with this pre is just amazing,it can transform a very good preamp into a great preamp.vibration control is also a necessity,as the top plate rings like a bell.bottom line is iv'e never had more fun with my system,than when i installed the syrah

Congratulations Dennis! Glad to know you've found a good tube combo for your system! The Syrah quite simply transforms a system into something much more.

Regarding the Ken Rads. There are actually 3 different versions, each with unique sonics. I know you said the KR's you had were VT-231 but make sure they actually say VT-231. There are KR's which do not say VT-231 (they usually say KEN RAD and that's it) and these are the darkest (dullest) of the lot. Still quite good but not to everyone.

Yes the KRBG are very good in some systems but not necessarily good in all systems. The Ken Rads tend to burn a little hotter than other tubes and wear out faster for whatever reason. As a result they can be noisy - especially if they were previously used in an amp.

Have anybody tried SARAH with PASS Labs X250 or another SS amp?
How it worked ?

I have the Cortese and a Sim Audio W-5. I think the combo works very well. Supratek preamps should mate well with most SS amps. You should email Mick with the input impedence and gain of the X250 and ask him if he has any concerns about component matching.