Preamp Deal of the Century

Slowhand, the Berning would have to be sold inexpensively for me to take a chance on it. I am about to do what you suggested about placing the order. I got an email from Mick about updating the Cortese to the newest design. He said it would cost about $500 at his cost (he said it was an extensive revision) plus shipping and take 2 to 3 months for the mods to be completed. I wonder if anyone on this thread has heard the latest revision and how far it bests the earlier design. For my budget, the Syrah still seems to be the best bet for me.

Hkvos, If you buy a Supratek, ask Mick if he can make it with TWO of the home-theater by-pass features. This would require a three-way switch vs. the standard two-way switch on units with the home-theater by-pass feature. This would let you connect the Wadia "direct" to your amp through one of the Supratek's by-bypass inputs and the home-theater through the other. You would be able to control volume from the Wadia or HT instead of relying on the Supratek. The Supratek doesn't even need to be on.

Additionally, you could run the analog outputs of the Wadia into the CD input on the Supratek for a different flavor. Sweet!

Hello SteveM. A little off topic here in this thread, however, I am very curious. How did you intergrate the raven with the proac? Is it integrated on the original proac baffle in the box? In phase or reverse?I concur with your rather astute analysis regarding Stuart Tylers BBCesque-like voicing of his speakers.[You have very good ears sir] . I too... just love that proac voicing technique, and quite frankly believe it is the reason why they make such beautiful music.I am also a BIG fan of the original 15 ohm BBC version of the roger Ls3/5a, which was obviously tuned or voiced to sound the way it does. I still have a pair in my kitchen, we have listened to them every day for more than 25 years.Many,many times... visitors and guests to our home have been mesmerized by the sound of the LS 3/5a. And most are usually in utter dis-belief when they realize they are actually listening to these diminutive 25 year old little babies.Has your modded proacs been a success in capturing that BBC like magic???? The Raven's are so incredibly transparent and posses that elusive abilty to resolve that very fine micro-detail, akin to the better E stats out there. I have just never heard them "successfully" married to a full range speaker that I could live with. Hell... You can banish me to a desert island for the rest of my days with any one of the proac response series speakers,my Supratek and any decent tube amp! All of proacs just make for beautiful music!I would be interested to hear your thoughts Steve.

Hello Baranyi. What do you consider very cheap for the Berning? No matter how you slice it, It is certainly one of the finest sounding amplifiers money can buy today, and given its power platform,really very versatile. Do you really care if it is a prototype?

Baranyi, I would concur with Ecclectique concerning the Berning. So far as purchasing new over the prototype, the concern would be that the prototype may have been sitting in a box for years if you are not purchasing from a user. Be CAREFUL of this. I would be concerned about the capacitors which may or may not be in need of replacement which would then add to the cost of the amp and may not make it worth it over new. If the amp is operational and is guaranteed as part of the sale, this would be an option. The price should be commensurate with these factors.

There really isn't much risk if you have 4.5K to spend. It is a versatile amp that can work with many loads and since the amp is in short supply with a healthy demand, it insures the value will be maintained. It sounds to me that you really need to hear it first before committing. You should probably search out a user in your area. There are few products in this hobby that I feel comfortable recommending. With certain considerations in mind the zh270 is definitely one.