Preamp Deal of the Century

Larry,

You are quite within your rights to 'question' rather than just 'take a leap of faith' by purchasing a Supratek. But look at the specifications and design implementation of the Supratek, and you'll know it's built like no other.

Tubegoover & Waltersalas have put it nicely, and I don't need to say much more, however:

Firstly, on aesthetics alone the Supratek Syrah is a gotta-have product, it looks like a million dollars and like it's just come out some funky Art Studio. The combination of Jarrah timber and chrome works really well and scintillates. It illicits positive comments from every visitor to my home (without exception so far).

Secondly, it definitely has the sound to match!

Thirdly, I'm not familiar with the First Sound pre, but compare it's construction to Supratek. Is it hard wired with silver or is it full of thin printed circuit boards? Has it got a separate power supply with a huge toroidal transformer the size most 100w power amps have? Is it Single Ended Triode? Lithium Battery biased? Transformer Coupled? does it use valves for Rectification/Regulation? Does it use expensive Auriecaps? If the answer is 'No' to a lot of these questions, then there is no way it will be as good as the Supratek.

Like all things in audio (especially with writings on the net) it is good to question and enquire, sort out the bulls_ _ _ from the truth, but to me there's no contest between Supratek and the others as it provides good value and 'Holy Grail' type sound to boot.

Regards,

Steve M

Stevem,
The First Sound is hand wired with separate power supply. Plus it is completely copper enclosed inside the outer shell, helping with EMI/FR rejection. Even the fans of the wonderful Supratek, (I am one without hearing it) would say that with a one to one comparison it is quieter.
I guess the question is: and this haunts all grail hunters, which one is better?
Obviously sometimes it is a function of matching etc, and not emperically true for everyone.
Mick is a great guy, but I always question 4 to 7 month waits, with associated service issues.
Tubegroover is an obviously good listener, and I already respect his writings. So if he likes it that is enough for me. And I have seen almost all of these things first hand in my travels to 100 stores working inside the industry.
Thanks
Larry

Hi Larry,

From your description the First Sound pre looks like it's got great potential! I understand your apprehension about waiting a few months for the Supratek, but you know the old saying 'good things come to those who wait'.

BTW, the Supratek also has a solid copper chassis under that shiney chrome exterior.

Regards,

Steve M.

I have been withholding this but I think it just needs to be said so no one will have any misunderstanding or apprehension, don't think about it if you are, just do it. If you have a budget that permits it, you can't make a wrong decision with the Supratek. It is impossible unless you are prepared to spend considerably more money. Even so, the decision will still be valid because it can be resold without losing anything or very little and if you don't go ahead with it you will most likely never have the opportunity to hear if you made the right choice or not and the curiosity will never subside until you forget but after so many posts on this thread and still counting, the death of curiosity may prove quite slow.

My reason for the above comment is because I have communicated with a few that are on the fence and I have been too conciliatory to their concerns, the wait and the service. This is the real deal it can't be overstated. It is a 7K or better pre for 2.5K, it really is. I waited 5 months longer than I should have. If only I had believed what I read from the beginning. Read Mark Bucksath review on the Supratek website, and read it very carefully http://www.supratek.biz/review.htm

If you can connect to the contents of his most wonderful descriptives of this product, you will hear the Syrah. Keep in mind this recommendation is based on the extreme value of what you will hear, not in the context of the "best" that may be available. If you are prepared to pay considerably more, you will certainly have more choices. I have NO doubt this is the best pre-amp value at this price point on the planet and it is very easy to say it.

Agree with you 110% Tubegroover !!

My relationship with Mick Maloney is a bit closer than most of you (see my ealier post on "Am I the Luckiest Man in the World"), so I have to be careful in what I say. But Tubegroover is right - the Supratek Cortese/Syrah will be very hard to improve on within reasonable money (say $10,000USA).

You have no idea the development (both technical and listening sessions) that has gone into the Supratek products. Not only does he have 30 years of valve amp building under his belt and a great love of music, Mick is tapped into an underground network of audio constructors and enthusiasts from Europe to Japan to Australia to New York, and with the wonders of the Internet collaborating, inventing, and improving upon their creations! Out of this melting pot, you have before you things like the Cortese and Syrah, it's not a wonder they sound so good - it's because they are constructed with fresh ideas, years of proven concepts and driven by the sheer enthusiasm of their creator(Mick!).

Never forget also, that Supratek is NOT a big wheel. It has no marketing machine, has no brand recognition like Mark Levinson or Audio Research - yet it is succeeding (or should that be 'exceeding')in this very competitive hi-end scene, purely based on word of mouth of what an excellent product it really is!! If this doesn't say it all nothing does...

Regards,

Steve M.