Preamp Deal of the Century

slowhand:

i too am anxiously awaiting more info on this amp. your comment from last week about a $3000 price point had me all giddy inside. last time i emailed mick, he said nothing was definite yet as he was still testing longevity. i'll have to wait with baited breath and enjoy my cary's for now.

I would not count on the $3000 price. I hope he can come in near that price, but I remember when he was in the planning stages of the Burgandy amps. Mick was hoping for about $3500 and they ended up being $9000!! I spoke with Mick about building an amp in the price range of the Syrah/Chenin. He said he was working on one. I hope this is it. If he can keep the price down as he did with the Syrah/Chenin, then Mick is going to be a very busy man!

My order for a Cabernet has become a 101/2 month wait. I am torn at this point to take Micks offer of refunding my deposit, (70%, dumb on my part) and look elswhere, or should I stick it out, although on principal, I am upset with the lack of info coming from Australia along with my dissapointment with endless delays, I ultimatley want to get the best preamp for my system. Other alternatives at this point are a Mac 2200 and a VAC sig MKI. What would the loyal following of the Supratek sound, which influnenced my decision to order a Supratek, do in my case?

Hello Larry,

I waited almost 1 year to get my Cortese! Was it worth the wait? Absolutely! I know it seems to take forever, but the music coming from my Cortese is pure pleasure. Once you hear your pre for the first time you forget about that long wait. Hang in there. I think part of the long wait is because Mick is coonstantly experimenting with ways to improve the sound of his products and he is developing new products as he builds preamps for people.

Re: Supratek KT88 power amp. I have not yet heard this amp yet Slowhand but would think it is very good. Mick seems to speak of it in terms of having the virtues of the his other more expensive power amps - which is saying a lot!

As to pricing for the KT88 amps you will have to wait and see, but about $3000 seems right from what he has said to me. I can't imagine it will be anywhere near the cost of Burgandys, those amps were contained in four chassis's, complex to build and with big expensive Plitron transformers from Canada which explains their price tag.

To those who have waited long for their preamps, we have a saying in Australia (or it could be universal?) 'the squeaky wheel gets oiled', so start squeaking. I have to agree with Slowhand though, the wait is worth it as Supratek preamps sound like no other.

Regards,

Steve.