Preamp Deal of the Century

Amandarae, Ecclectique, Jphii thanks for your input. I e- mailed Mick on the subject of "Chenin or Syrah". Mick tells me he does not use sheoak for the Chenin because its too expensive. Evidently he used to use it for the Syrah though and had sheoak Syrah cabinets left over from the Syrah days. According to Mick there are only 10 Chenins in sheoak that say "Syrah" in existence. The model name above the serial # on the back also says Syrah which seems strange to me. So I guess I have a Chenin.
Thanks again

Hi Gang. Yes it seems that Mick has used different tubes in his phono stages, sometimes even in the same model of preamp. He has in past,used the 6gk5 and 5842/417a combo in the syrah as well as the cortese.His web site states he is using the 6J6 in combo with the 6922/6dj8 family. After reading some of the threads here,evidently he has used the 6c45, the 6j6 or equivalents in combo with the 6922. That said: All of these tubes are electrically similiar and are considered to be in the same family electrically speaking. Although some of these tubes may not be direct subs,they would be considered electrical cousins. There is good reason why Mick has elected to employ this family of tubes. As most of you know,his phono stage has extremely high gain and can drive even the lowest output mc cartridges available today without the use of a transformer or step up device. The 417a or equivalents,the 6j6 or equivalents,the 6c4 or equivalents or the 6c45 are all tubes with very similiar electrical characteristics. All have high GM, a high mu of around 50,low rp and high current. The 6c45 for instance, is a super tube choice for duty here, with it's closest american equivalent being the WE 437. His phono stages must be considered "World Class" by anyones standards regardless of what tube he has employed. Geez... A tubed phono stage to drive a .2mv cartridge was simply unheard of no less than 10 years ago! Don't get caught up or confused with Mick's choice of tube here gang,trust me.... he KNOWS what he is doing here guys...................... Sandro.... Order the Cortese and you will surely be unloading your ARC ls5 mk2 the very next day. As a long time and former ARC preamp owner, I have been a fan of ARC preamps since the ARC sp-3a from the mid 1970's right up to the Sp-10 mk2[ which I still own today] I have owned the SP-3a, Sp-6a, SP-8a MK2, and the SP-10 mk2 and enjoyed my time with all of them immensly. Furthermore, the ls5 mk 2 is "far and away" the best sounding line stage preamp ARC ever produced! Always musical,warm and engaging... a beauty to be sure. Unfortunately... It's not in any where near the same league as any of the supratek preamps, not even close for that matter. My Syrah simply stomps on the line stage of both the SP-10 mk2 or the SP-8 mk2 [which is basically the same line stage of your LS 5 mk2]. The Cortese is even better sir! Like killing two birds with one stone and looks like a win,win situation to me.

Hi Gang,

On the subject of noise in the phono stage with 6922 tubes, Mick told me in a recent e-mail that in the 2nd and 3rd stages of the phono that this is not a problem and that much of the problems with noise in the phono stages of preamps has less to do with noisey tubes and more to do with poorly designed phono stages. I agree with Ecclectique, when he says we need not be concerned with the tube choice that Mick uses in the phono stage. He is not about to design a phono stage that is noisey due to tubes or design. His phono sections are truly world class! I feel that my Sony SCD-1 SACD player is a top notch player with the Allen Wright mods that are in it, but with the Syrah's phono section, my VPI mk4/JMW/Dynavector combo stomps all over it! Man, I can't wait to get my Cortese!!!

Hey Sandro. If you do order a Supratek preamp, be sure to keep the seimens 7308's your employing in the LS-5.They can be used for the phono of the supratek. They are the best of the breed in my honest opinion.

For anyone looking for some 6922 to try in their new pre,I have been getting consistent quality from a seller here on the Gon by the name of Dioto.I have bought a few pairs of Seimans gold pin, Dutch made Amperex bugle boys and Philips miniwatt S.Q.s. All are dead silent and very,very good in my Chinen.Best of all, Toms prices and service are hard to beat...Tubes through out the rest of my pre. R.C.A.6C4s,1958 vintage Dutch made Amperex bugel boy gz-37, Sylvania 6f6g,Sylvania metal base 6sn7w,... nice. The next huge up grade to my modest system is a Nordost Thor distribution block and two of their mid priced a.c. cords for starters ,this could very well be the best thing any one in this hobby could do for their system,I get it this week....