Preamp Deal of the Century

Maril555,
I am sorry you had a bad experience with Supratek. Of course, we only have your side of things, but whatever the case, I hope it is resolved soon.

You say it is "interesting" that you have received no responses to your criticism. For one thing, now that the company is defunct, it is unlikely that many people are following the thread anymore. That may be part of the explanation.

As for questioning the integrity of the members who bought and loved their Supratek preamps, you have overstepped. I bought a Syrah very soon after this thread began, and I loved it. It was much more musical than the preamps I had had previously, including a First Sound, SimAudio, and Audible Illusions. When my pre developed some noise in the right channel after a year or so, Mick worked with me to try to resolve it. I ultimately sent the preamp back for repair, and it worked well for several months before developing noise once again. This time, Mick made me another preamp, with an upgraded phono stage thrown in for my trouble. I basically got a brand new Chenin with the Cortese phono stage for the $2500 I originally paid for the Syrah nearly three years prior. I was very pleased with that preamp, and while I eventually did move on from the Supratek, I still have very fond memories of it and Mick's support of his creations.

Of course, this in no way negates your experience and perceptions, but if you insist on disparaging both the developer AND the members who enjoyed their Supratek preamps, some balance might be in order. It appears that the vast majority of contributors to this thread greatly enjoyed their Supratek preamps. Should we therefore question YOUR integrity?

Interesting...

Well,
I do believe Mick was more attentive to his customers in the early years of Supratek, my experience correlates with the late stages of it's existence, and it was very clear, that his priorities had shifted.
I owned three of his pieces, and my cumulative experience is not insignificant.
Also, I've had numerous interactions with then current and ex- Supratek owners, all off of this thread, and their opinions reflected mine almost exactly. I'm talking about a few areas- sound and built quality more, than anything.
There have been a number of posts here on A-gon, discussing some sonic attributes of Suprateks.
And if one is careful and open- minded enough, one can gather less, than stellar impressions of MANY owners.
Let me be blunt saying this: I've owned and had a number of different preamps in my own system, since Supratek-
Doshi Alaap, Nagra PL-P, BAT REX.
All of them I found to be superior to Supratek, especially in the area of neutrality and timbral accuracy.
Let me be even more blunt. Supratek made my system pretty much unlistenable due to quite extreme sibilance and treble quality.
Again, I'm not being subjective to even a slightest degree- that's in comparison with at least THREE different preamps, in my own system, over a long periods of listening.
Next on to the build quality- please put any Supratek next to Nagra or BAT, then open the case, and then you'll see , that Supratek is nothing more, than a poorly built piece of
DIY.
Looks cool on the outside, though.
Next one - packaging. It's not even funny- the lowest quality of boxes,I've ever seen. They are not even dedicated boxes, just DHL standard box.
The hight dimension of the boxes is way too small for the height of the component, the box pressing against the fake trannies covers, making it way too susceptable to shipping damage. And I can attest to that. BOTH of my brand new Mondeuse amps arrived badly damaged, with bent chassis, entirely due to inadequate packing.
Should I go on?
As to the integrity of SOME members, known for trumpeting this product, I'm willing to explain it, in the best case scenario, by a limited exposure to better products- and that's is nobody's fault, of course. We are all entitled to our own opinions.
The worst case scenario is lack of restrain and objectivity, and willingness to be a messiah of the audiophiledom.
One reservation, though : In my humble opinion, if one is willing to influence many of the A-gon members purchasing decision, and let's be realistic- many of us, myself included, are influenced by A-gon members reviews, by posting unreserved praise about any product, then one should have enough integrity to make that praise as objective and evidence based, as possible. We are supposed to be a community of like- minded and mutually helpful individuals.
Many of us, fortunately are. That's why, I'm not making any blunket statements.
And the last thing- anyone can question my integrity, I don't mind. At least, I stated, what my opinion is based on, make your own conclusions, and tried to stay away from saying, that component "A" absolutely kills component "B".

Looking for a fight, Maril?

Personally, I am thrilled with my Supratek Chenin. It was delivered faster than I expected it, it has worked flawlessly since I got it, and I am enjoying doing mods to it to try to wring every last drop of performance from it - the point-to-point wiring some have derided as a rat's nest makes it very easy to mod, so I have no issues there. Plus it's beautiful to look at as well. If Mick was still in business I might even buy another preamp or amp from him in the future.

So, now, here we are a bit later, and some folks (at least one, maybe more) are stating that Mick is gone, and they are owed money.
Isn't this the nature of the questions I asked along the way...."If it takes a year to get one, what about service?" I was villified by some people here, with some saying that I had an 'agenda'. Frankly I did...my agenda was to question Mick's business practice of keeping deposits for a year before delivering, and now, of course, maybe just keeping them period.

Why wait for a year for something that is readily available? The question is as valid now, as when I asked it years ago...the only difference is, some people have lost their money.

During one exchange, in simply asking what to me was the obvious, I received a private email from Mick, and he berated me, and was verbally abusive...maybe under pressure, who knows, telling me to 'mind my own business'.

What is it about audio that elevates some products, seemingly those which are hardest to get, to mystical status, creating a group of people willing to wait for a year?

Personally, I hope Mick is happy and healthy, and that he can return the deposits which some are asking for--for his sake as well as the customers.