Preamp Deal of the Century

Todd
Tim here, I talked with Mick, and the Chenin is the upgraded phono version of the Syrah. The Syrah is no longer produced. It is the same price $2500.00 until April 1st then the price will be $2900.00. I know this because I just ordered one. I hope this helps.

Regards Tim

Whew, after the better part of last evening and this evening, I just finished reading this very profuse thread. Having enjoyed its eclectic and congenial repartee, I do appreciate all the contributions, but I have a few questions.

I would consider my rig to be one of high resolution and eminently listen able, but it is sans a pre-amp.

What might I expect a pre-amp, and especially a Supratek to do for me? That is, I am running a Wadia 861 direct into CAT JL1 amps. How can additional circuitry, interconnects, etc. help the sonics of my system? BTW, the CAT’s are driving Soundlab M1’s.

Has anyone heard a pre with and without the remote option? Does having it affect/detract from the sonics?

Would using the HT pass-through with my Wadia be equivalent to running direct to the Amps as I am now doing? Other than additional cabling (and the sonic signature of same) --in comparison to my currently direct method -- would I observe any changes in resolution, imaging, soundstage, frequency response etc. by using the direct pass-through? BTW, I picked up on this concept from a previous submittal, but would appreciate confirmation of the pristine pass-through concept, if perchance the Wadia and line stage were not to my liking.

One final question, given that synergy is a very important element of our hobby, would running a CAT Signature or Ultimate pre-amp (vs a Supratek) with my CAT monoblocks be the logical choice (and why am I thinking of a Supratek)? On paper, CAT-to-CAT would be appear to be most synergistic combination, but obviously, paper has nothing to do with the etherealness we are seeking. I did notice some mention of comparisons between the Supratek pre’s vs CAT’s, but read no discussion of the differences. Someone with the experience of hearing both these pre’s, and the desire to discuss same, would be appreciated. Of course, if you feel a discussion of these differences/similarities would impede the flow of this discussion, by all means, please contact me via my e-mail.

Mrmb
Mick told me in a e-mail that there would be no sonic degradation with the optional remote, but I have never heard one, so I am taking him at his word.

Tim

Several Supratek owners, myself included, have gone from CATs to Suprateks. I had a Ref MK2. No comparison. The Syrah made the CAT sound clinical and flat. And the ability to change cart loading on the fly is a real nice feature.

Mrmb. Wow! A very fine system indeed sir,and being a former owner of soundlab A-1's..very close to my heart.While my system is voiced primarily for vinyl,I am certain you would be amazed at the benefit of a top level pre in your rig,whether it is a supratek, one of the Cats or any other pre at that level. I have never auditioned the wadia in my own rig,however....the supratek syrah's line stage was considerably better than my cat sig sl-1 mk2,my MFA luminescence or my ARC sp-10 mk2 when paired with my sony es9000. And I can say for certain that all of the pre's were much more preferable than a direct hook-up to the amps.My experience with a digital source without a preamp in the line was that the music was somewhat thinner dimensionally than real life, missing the body and the bloom of the real thing. The syrah is incredibly transparent and dynamic,and adds nothing of a character or signature per sey. I have never heard the cat amps paired with the cat preamp either so I cannot attest to their synergy and can only surmise they would be a very good match. I did have the pleasure of hearing the magnificent JL-1's mated to the Klimo Merlin pre,[another great pre BTW] powering a pair of proacs former flagship model response 4's and can honestly say I was completely mesmerized with the fidelity, and one of the finest sounding rigs this guy has ever heard. The remote option is also one that I had reservations about as well, but now.... something I couldn't live without. It functions strictly as a motorized pot for gain only and isn't in the signal path. My acquisition of any of the pre's mentioned above, were solely on the merrit's of their phono stages and I can honestly say I enjoyed countless hours with all of them while spinning vinyl. I still use the Luminescence and doubt I will ever part with it. That said:The supratek bests every one of them when used as a line stage and by a wide margin. At the current price of admission...it has no real competition that I am aware of! Perhaps, someone here with much more experience than I have in the digital medium will hopefully chime in here.