Preamp Deal of the Century


If anyone is looking for a true "World Class" preamp at a very fair price..heed my advice. I just recieved a Supratek Syrah preamp that was hand built by Mick Maloney in Western Australia, and it is absolutely beautiful! This preamp is the best deal you will ever find. I would put it up against any preamp out there for both looks and sound. Price? $2500 for the Syrah (includes Killer Phono stage). Not into phono? Try the Chardonney line stage for $2100. Don't get me wrong, I am not associated with this company. I am just a very happy owner! This preamp is VERY dynamic, yet liquid. It conveys the sound of music better than any other preamp that I have ever heard! You can check out the Supratek website at www. cantech.net.au
slowhand
"The defensiveness I have inadvertantly elicited speaks volumes about the insecurity of those so supposedly satisfied with their purchase..."

Well, let's see here, Khrys. You've come upon a thread which is undoubtedly one of the most amazing in the history of Audiogon due not only to its length, but the overwhelming consensus and joy over a relatively unknown product that has transformed so many systems, and you feel compelled to jump into the fray with no experience whatsoever with the product. Your "devil's advocate" position, as far as my feeble mind can discern it, breaks down as follows:

1)Anyone who buys the Supratek without auditioning it first is a sucker by definition because:
a)it isn't carried by dealers
b)it hasn't been reviewed in major audio journals
c)it hasn't been showcased at CES
d)it hasn't been widely advertised in commerical ads

2)Anyone who buys Supratek gear is incapable of an objective response to it because we have been suckered into buying it in the first place, and are now "stuck with it." Therefore, we have no choice but to like it in order to validate our irrational behavior and "lack of discernment."

3)Anyone who buys Supratek gear is a fool because something might happen to it, and then where would we be?

I think your ego has caused you to misinterpet our responses to your inane posts, Khrys. You see them all as just another attempt to validate our purchases as an overreaction to your superior critical thinking skills. In fact, we are simply pointing out the obvious to all potential Supratek customers--YOU have not heard the gear and we have. Your implication that the audiophiles who have bought and love Supratek gear are sheep--unable to form objective critical judgments about it--is beyond ridiculous. I would wager that there are few, if any, Supratek owners who have not bought other audio gear (whether based on word of mouth or your precious reviews and advertisements) that, once in their systems, did not quite suit them for one reason or another. I don't know if you've noticed, but audiophiles buy and sell equipment all the time--once in a great while, you will even see a Supratek unit for sale on this site--often because we buy things that are not quite what we had hoped. For the vast majority of us in this thread, the Supratek is that rarest of audio birds, gear that not only lives up to but exceeds expectations.

Make no mistake about it--we are not defending our purchase to you, to ourselves, or to anyone else. We are defending a company that has given us all so much joy, while reassuring potential Supratek customers that your arguments are utterly baseless. Each person can make up his/her own mind whether the consensus and testimonials of so many experienced audiophiles with nothing to gain from their endorsement are more or less persuasive than a magazine advertisement or a review in Stereophile....or your "devil's advocate" protestations.

One last thing---your apology would come across as slightly more "sincere" if you did not follow it with another insult. But thanks anyway.

Happy New Year to all.





Devils Advocate? Interesting analogy and some food for thought here.How does one qualify as a "Devils Advocate"?? Perhaps... we can post an internet polling station here, and all of us "insecure members" can vote for you or whomever else aspires to assume this distinctive title "The Internet Devils Advocate" Yeah! Who knows... you could become really famous here on the Gon ... Maybe even become a "Legend in your own Mind". You would get my vote.
Waltersalas, extremely well-said.

And beyond that, I am not sure why anyone here is wasting anymore time with Khrys. He obviously just wants to hear himself talk even if no one else does.
Khrys...I will admit, at times in my life i have had fellings of insecurity and confusion... Other times i have strung human ears on a boot laces to validate numbers... You have been a laugh... Its time to move on...
I do not own the Supratek Syrah but I have heard it on more than one occasion in different rooms and with different amplification. Once was with the Berning and Merlin VSM speakers. Another was in my own home with both the Joule VZN80 and the Berning amp and my own Merlin VSM speakers. If a preamp can keep up with those components/speakers then it is pretty good. There is no doubt the Syrah is all it is cracked up to be. No way are you going to find anywhere else the performance, build quality, looks, and a phono stage in an all tube preamp for $2,500. If anyone knows of something better for the money please let me know. It is an absolute no brainer and based on what I have heard, makes spending a lot more money on a preamp a lot harder to do. Personally I am going to try the Joule LAP 150. Mostly because I expect (and hope) it will be better. It may not be. And I am very partial to the Joule equipment because it's works so well with my Merlins and sounds so good. And partly because I know of one available for a great price. If everyone were lucky enough to hear the Syrah they would have a much better frame of reference for performance and would likely save themselves a lot of money. Of course, Mick would also be backed up for years with orders...

Jim