Preamp Deal of the Century

Hi Lisbon,
I wonder are you getting a loud noise out of both speakers?
I had a scary experience with a valve filament failing which caused a very loud noise even with the sound turned down but only in one channel.
However if it is from both speakers - unless it is a bad tube common to both channels? unlikely to be two tubes going at once.
Hopefully Mick will sort you out.
Rgds Simon

Slipknot1
With my Chenin, the tube rolling has been pretty limited. I tried swapping out the stock 6922's with Amperex NOS only to be disappointed with the results. I was very pleased however, with replacing the stock 6SN7's with NOS RCA Grey Glass 6SN7. Overall, I have to agree with Slowhand. I think Mick knows what he is doing in his choice of tubes when he ships a preamp. Who am I to argue?

I too enjoy my Chenin with the RCA VT-231 Grey glass. The Raytheons VT-231 was also superb in my application. In fact, I now have 3 pairs of Raytheons in my stash so as not to missed the ride if you know what I mean. As for the phono, as I posted a long long time ago and repeatedly, the 6C4 is the money tube for me. If you have not tried it already, I recommend the Tungsol 6C4 and the Raytheon 6C4. The Tungsol have warmer mids (like the RCA's which I know you are using), a very balance top and solid bottom. The Raytheons have a better top end but less "warmer" on the mids and it also has a little more "kick" on the bass than the Tungsols. After trying these tubes, I can now say, that the Mullard M8080(which I thought the best tubes for me in this position) was inferior to both.

Lisbon,

List your tubes on the Chardonnay if you have not change them already. Also, what about replacing the input cables from preamp to amp? Have you tried having the pre and the amp plug into a common outlet(local ground)? Just a thought!

greetings

Problem solved. My Tung-Sols VT-231 were the cause of all that noise. Back to stock tubes and got pure silence. Thanks to all of you who tryed to help. Best, Lisbon.

I have in my posession a vast array of tubes ranging from WE350B, Tung Sol round plates 6SN7 Black Glass, Ken Rad Black Glass VT-231, Sylvania JAN-CHS-VT231, Mullard GZ34, Sylvanis 6F6G, RCA VT-232 Grey Glass, Sylvaina 6SN7GT, Raytheon 6SN7-WGT, etc.... the list goes on and one.

All I can say is stop, step back, take a deep breath, and walk into the un-chartered territory that most of us have NOT known. It taken 3 years of owning a Supratek to get to this point. A complete round trip, back to where I started and the answer was sitting in my face as clear as daylight all along.

Other tubes may sound different, and yes they really sound different in my system, Each new tube inserted makes a difference. But at the end of the day the Supratek was optimised for a particular set of valves, yes folks, the ones included with the unit, when the unit arrived at your door step and you had that big grin on your face. When you opened the Federal Express box(s) with the included Sovtek 5AR4, Sovtek 6SN7 and Electro Harmonix 6L6, with a tear thinking, yes, yes the time has finally come.

Stop and listen to the original tubes, I think you may be pleasently surprised as to the calibre and the way it competes with NOS tubes. Best way to test this theory is to take all the NOS tubes out, dust off the Stock tubes sitting in the back drawer of a cupboard as mine where, plug them in and brace your self.

It does not get much better that that...Loads of Detail, Sonic Balance that does not tend to emphasise one area at expense of another, smooth and liquidy as one friend said today.

P.S. Remember to leave all the components on for at least 24 hours before passing judgement.

Happy Listening,
Fellow Audiophile (Learner)

Hello Clipsal,

I agree with you completely! I recieved my Cortese at the end of October of 2005. I owned a Syrah before that. Upon receiving the Cortese, I could not believe how fantastic it sounded. Since then it has gone from fantastic to absolute KILLER! I finally put in some NOS tubes, and I found the same thing as you did. The Cortese sounds better with the stock tubes! Mick has done a wonderful job of tuning the preamp to the stock tubes. I now spend my time enjoying music and not worrying about obtaining the latest and greatest tubes. All these guys selling NOS tubes for ridiculous prices can keep them. What more could you possibly ask for. A world class preamp that does not even need NOS tubes to sound world class. I also agree with your comments about your experience with NOS tubes sounding "different" but not better. My advice for anyone contemplating getting a Supratek is DO IT! .Don't worry about buying a bunch of overpriced tubes.