Preamp Deal of the Century

I can comment on one of these sales as I recently purchased a Cortese that was listed here. The seller had bought the Cortese back in August, waited 4 or 5 months for delivery, then spent some time comparing it to another (much more expensive) preamp in his system. He decided he liked the other one a little better and listed the Cortese here. I was happy to pay close to full price to avoid the wait and import duties, so the deal worked out well for both of us. I haven't spent a lot of time with it yet so I'm hesitant to comment on the sound, but my initial impression is that it's every bit as good as this thread leads you to believe.

I think the long lead-time involved in getting Suprateks just naturally leads to a few new ones being listed here. People find something else, or relocate, or downsize their system, etc. before the Supratek shows up. I doubt this implies anything negative about the quality or value of the product.

auido gears come and go, it is normal. same with Supratek.
I will be very pleased to hear some different perspective on this preamp,particularly from these people want to sell it. Group Think sometimes apply among audiophiles.

You guys are, of course, right. For myself, I know what I hear in the Supratek, but thought there might be some issues with system capatibility with some others out there, or some reliability issues arising as time goes on, or something better they heard, beyond the issues of the economics of our time (can anyone hear that sucking sound?) or our audiophile brethren's admittedly/notoriously fickle nature. Blips on the screen should be inquired of, I think. In any event, as you all have noted, nice resale.

The Supratek does require tube rolling to gain maximum sound. Perhaps the sellers have not experimented with the tubes, and when compared to other preamps( higher priced preamps) it sounds "lean". To current owners - do take the time to roll the tubes following the advise given in this thread. I am not sure about break-in time, however the action of the knob/contols did smooth-out after 3-4 months.

Any of the supratek preamps that I have seen 4 sale on the GON seem to sell "immediately" at full retail or close to it [depending on condition]and rightly so.I for one...cerainly would have purchased one on the GON if given the opportunity- just to avoid the 9-10 month wait to have it made.The preamp truly is a world class reference product that can compete head on with anything out there- especially if your system is vinyl based.Some may not like its open tube architecture while others consider it an art form.I personally don't care one [way or the other] what "any" equipment looks like as long as it gets me closer to the music.I have 2 legendary Classic tubed preamps to compare it to and can honestly say the supratek will definitively stand the "test of time" and one day also become a cult classic as well.It certainly betters both my ARC SP-10 mk2 and my Luminesence B through the line stage and has the luxury of a remote to boot.The Supratek also betters the sp-10 when a low output moving coil is employed.I still prefer phono stage of the Lumi in my set up, however,to be candid, it is much like comparing fine wine or fine art. Different strokes for different folks!Chosing one over the other is another matter of perspective when it comes to selling.At this particular jucture in my life I would "never" sell my Luminescence and I would have a tough time selling my ARC sp-10 as well[sentimental reasons].I have owned it and enjoyed it immensly since 1985 and it has always been my benchmark for comparison!One day: one or the other will make it to the classifieds and when it does I suppose the fair market value at that time will dictate its worth.I for one would bet on the Supratek at maintaining its value and high demand.If your looking to buy one and the opportunity presents itself? "BUY IT" Its a no-brainer" The world would be a very sad place without music! Enjoy.