Preamp Deal of the Century

I received my new Cabernet one month ago. Mine is also the PX4/300B version. So far I can tell that the sound seems to be a little cleaner with the PX4 (TJ) then with the Western Electric 300B but I´ll check it again in one more month or so.
Ecclectique, there is a difference with the Syrah. Of course it can´t be a huge difference but big enough to pay the $5000 tag in my opinion. I don´t know about the phono section, just about the line. The sound compared with the Syrah is more clear, clean or whatever you want to define it in that direction. More presence but nacing aggressive.

I have my Syrah with all those NOS tubes that at the end seems to me the best ones: WE 350B, Tung Sol 6SN7 round plates, Mullard or Philips metal base GZ34. Even with all these expensive tubes in the Syrah the Cabernet has more emotion, more music just with the stock ones. Sorry but I can´t express myself better.
After the first week I tried the Cab with all those nos tubes and I don´t know why but the sound, so far, is better with the stock ones. Again I´ll try the nos tubes in the Cab in one more month.

David, if you can afford it I would keep the Syrah. Use it for a second system, you´ll never get something like that for that price. Besides you can use part of the same tubes (350B, 6SN7, and GZ34) in both preamps.
But in my humble opinion the Cab is worthwhile if you want to get the most of your system. I never sell neather of them.
A final recommendation for the ones that are looking for an exellent cd player, take a look to the Cary CD 303/300, it makes a terrific combination with any of the Supratek preamps.
Salud, Juan.

HELP!
Don't have time to read the whole thread.
Bought a Syrah which I love but the phono tubes (whichever they mey be) are way too noisy for me.
Have it set on lowest gain and still getting storms of rubbish thru the phono at conservative volume.
It's kitted out with all sorts of NOS tubes and my limited experience of tubes lead to me to think I'll have to buy at least three pairs before I get a 'quiet' pair - which though?
Thanks in advance,
Simon

Amandarae, All of the tubes seemed to be working. I have since pulled it out of the system and put another preamp in. I will wait a couple of weeks and try and tackle the problem. Thanks for the input. I will try plugging it into the wall at that time to see what happens

Hi Gang. Ongaku, thanks for the post. Sandro, congrats on your new supratek and I am sure you will enjoy the ride. EThifi, Have you spent much seat time with the preamp in the low gain setting? If it is loud at 9 oclock on the volume control, it leaves you with a very small window for adjusting the proper gain variations of many recordings...... WCmustang....While neither my syrah nor the cortese use the ecc88 in the phono stage, I do have an ARC sp-10 and the Klimo merlin in others systems. Both employ the ecc88/6dj8/69922 family of tubes and are very fine sounding high end preamps. I have also owned as well as repaired and modified many other preamps that have employed that family of tubes. There are some great ones, some good ones and a lot of mediocre tubes in that family. Many of the nos ecc88 family of tubes have a tendency to be somewhat microphonic and can also be noisey as well. The crop of currently manufactured tubes..... while most are quiet and void of microphonics,in my honest opinion; none are fit for use in any high resolution phono circuit and to my ears "just won't make music". The pre 1970's tubes from amperex, siemens,telefunken,mullard,valvo etc are light years better than post mid 70's and 80's examples,particulary the siemens made tubes. Further more:There are a ton of re-labelled examples floating around and have been for years.In my experience, the only modern tube of any consequence is the military version of the Soviet 6n23n or 6n23ev,infact... these are the quietest tubes in the family with the tightest triode sections as well.The post 1980 phillips ecg versions are hideous sounding. The 60's version white labell Holland made Amperex [d getter versions] are terrific as well as the US amperex versions. The pre-70's Siemens e88cc's were my favs in the Sp-10 and the klimo and preferred over the Telelies and the mullards. Both versions of the legendary CCA's from either siemens or telefunken are as good as it gets in this tube family however the late 70's examples are nowhere close sonically to the earlier examples. The early Valvos [pre 70's again] red labells are great as well. One may also use the e188cc's or 7308's as subs and all of them will handle a higher voltage and are geniune 10,000 hour tubes. JPMS, Thanks for your perspective on the px-4/300b supratek options. The dilema for me is, which one to sell if I decide to go with the Grange. I am leaning more toward selling the Syrah as my cortese is considerably better sounding and far more flexible in my system. I much preferr the sound of the nos round plate 6j5's over any of the 6sn7's. There are also many more single triode substitutes for the 6j5 .... like the many vintages of the 6p5's, 6c5's,6ad5's,6ae5's,and the fabulous 7193. Due to no real commercial demand for single triode octal tubes [yet anyway]all these tubes are dirt cheap, very plentiful, and many sound better than the dual triode 6sn7. To be candid here: My apprehension stems from having my doubts about whether the px4/300b version will outperform my cortese with the above mentioned nos tubes.

Ecclectique - I don't have the grange. My cabernet doesn't use the px4 or 300b. But comparing the linestage section between the Mick's upper and mid-line preamps I am certain that the grange will easily best the cortese. Mick can easily put the 6j5 in place of the 6sn7 if that is what you prefer. Basically all the nos tubes you currently use for the cortese can also be used in the grange with the addition of the px4 or 300b.

I have spent some time with some very fine systems including one all-tube system with vinyl front-end and total system cost exceeding $200k USD. My humble system with a SS poweramp has more tone than any system that I have ever heard including the one I just mentioned. The cabernet is what puts me over the top.