Preamp Deal of the Century

Supratek Cortese - 10 Days Old

It's been 10 days since I received my Cortese and it is still breaking in - slight changes mostly - nothing too dramatic at all.

My current feelings about the Cortese are similar to what they were on the 20th when I unpacked & plugged in the unit.

One thing I will say now is that the Cortese offers me exactly what I wanted from the Chardonnay/Syrah but didn't know it. Does that make sense? :) As we all know, in audio it often takes something better to make clear what we've been missing. The Cortese is sonically similar to the Syrah - yet a bit more transparent. The highs are a bit more refined and the bottom end is a more powerful. Overall, I would say that the improvements make up for the few shortcomings of the Chardonnay/Syrah which - as I said before, I never knew existed.

Other refinements include NO HUM WHATSOEVER in both phono and line stage. Amazing. NO MICROPHONICS when touching / taping the chassis. My Chardonnay used to make "piano" sounding noises when the chassis was touched the wires inside rattled and stuff like that. Annoying. But... this is totally not an issue with the Cortese.

The PROBLEM I have with the Cortese is this...
When the first Cortese's were made the tube compliment was totally different than today's Cortese. 4 regulator tubes, 4 driver tubes. Today, the Cortese has the exact same tube compliment as the Syrah (with the exception of phono)..

A side note - tongue in cheek - if you're planning to buy a Grange, maybe you should do it before it is re-released with the same tubes as the Cortese and the Syrah.

So what differentiates the Cortese from the Syrah? What makes it better? Same tubes and different circuit it seems. Opening up the Cortese exposes about 40 - 60% more wire and different parts than are contained in a Syrah.

Looking at the inside of the Chardonnay, I often wondered why it took Mick so long to build these things. Looking inside the Cortese, I cannot even imagine HOW HE BUILDS THESE. Pretty complex stuff going on in there.. and a very tight spot to work in.

So... after looking inside this unit, I've got to say the problem I had with wondering what differentiated the Cortese from the Syrah is GONE.

While this is certainly not the definitive Cortese review, it is beginning of what is starting to seem more & more like a worthwhile investment & improvement over the Syrah each day. I am very excited to hear what happens over the next 10 days and will certainly report back.

bwhite - How many hours do you have on the cortese over the course of those 10 days? My cortese is dead quite also, but my chassis is slightly microphonic to the touch. Probably a result of my 6SN7's and not a reflection of the cortese. I am using symposium rollerblock jrs under my chassis and I use hal-o tube dampers also.

I will attempt to shed a little light on First Sound vs. Syrah.
I listened to them side-by-side and must say that they are very close in sound. My Syrah had rolled tubes to Tung-Sol & Ken Rad. I found this change was a great improvement and a must to get close to the First Sound. I did have microphonic issues when touching the Syrah. Dynamics on both are outstanding.The soundstage presentation are very similar with open & revealing sonics without brightness. I do enjoy vinyl and loved the Syrah phono section. But I kept the First Sound as the "stock" preamp had a slight edge on presentation - without modifification, and no microphonic issues. However the cost with an additional phono stage ( ARC PH3SE used) was $1,500 more than the Syrah. This makes the Syrah the best value hands down, but the First Sound has the edge on sonics, plus all First Sound amps can be upgraded. And the debate continues.....

BWhite,

Have you had a chance of testing the home-theatre pass through yet ?

I ordered a Sauvignon (Cortese line stage version) from Mick about 3 months ago, but did not request any modifications for fear of something going wrong.

Mick said that he will probably start Sauvignon in around a month or two. Therefore, I'm wondering whether It's a good idea to request the home-theatre pass through before he actually commences work on the pre-amp.

Also, does anyone who owns a Supratek, tried the unit with the Audio Aero Capitole MK II 24/192 CD Player ?

My System is currently made up of the following:
1. Audio Aero Capitole MK II CD Player
2. Krell KSA 250 Power Amp
3. Osborn Epitome Grand Reference MK V speakers with Bass Units.

At the moment the Audio Aero is running direct into the power amp and actually sounds superior to when a Krell KRC-3 pre-amp was used in the equation.

Furthermore, does anyone know of any good tube suppliers in Australia, preferably Sydney.

Finally, because the Supratek does not fit onto a standard hi-fi rack, I'd be interested in knowing what improvisations people are using to accomodate the unit.

Regards,
TJackson

Noble, if the Syrah was close to the First Sound with only Ken Rads and Tung Sols, then you didn't hear 50% of what the Syrah is capable of producing. Rolling 6SN7's made the least difference in my Supratek.

A change in the rectifier to a NOS Mullard 5AR4 (or a Bendix 6106 ?) and WE 350B's as regulators and I suspect the Syrah would have been considerably ahead of the First Sound.

However, I am sure if you rolled NOS tubes in the First Sound it would also be an improvement, as well. Both are excellent preamps and I don't think you could go wrong with either one. I suppose it is simply a matter of which flavor one prefers.