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Supratek Owners Thread

Greetings All - 
It appears that the 26-million-plus view, multi-decade "Preamp Deal of the Century" Supratek thread has been removed. I'm not sure why, but suppose there must be a reasonable explanation.
In any case, on that thread I recently asked whether there might be interest in a "Supratek owners thread" and received some interest. 
The purpose of this thread is for Supratek owners to share the details of their system, ask questions, share information about any tube-rolling they have done, and so forth.
I'll kick us off here with a few details about my system -
ancient Linn LP12 with Ittok arm, Dynavector 17D3 cartridge into Cortese LCR phono stage
Power amp is a fully serviced Innersound Electrostatic amplifier
Quad ESL63 speakers (not USA monitors) or JBL 4430 studio monitors
Digital sources are immature and evolving - ancient Fostex CR300 cd player/burner
DacMagic 100 DAC
Nordost Blue Heaven 75ohm interconnect
Due to the fairly long lengths of speaker wire required in the new listening room, speaker wire is Belden 12 gauge wire designed for low-voltage outdoor lighting systems. 
Next steps - dedicated circuit, new power cords, new interconnects, new wires.
128x128markusthenaimnut
jtcf's avatar
jtcf
1,589 posts
 
@markusthenaimnut the only other dac I've tried was a Parasound.It actually didn't sound too bad,but it became congested with complicated music.My Vincent CDP died(which I loved!) so I am going with separates again after a ten year hiatus.The Tubadour(upgraded caps)is a keeper for sure,really euphonic out of the box and becoming more open and organic as it breaks in.Don't want to hijack the thread,sorry audio123!

The 6SN7 tubes I really like are Sofia Electric,lush but detailed.I've heard good things about the Shuguangs but haven't tried them yet.
audio123
98 posts
 
Greeting to all the Supratek owners...Just a little info...but these new to the market  Shuguang WE6SN7 are SPECIAL!...got about 200hrs on them and they are a end game for me...will be giving a little more info when i get another 200hrs on them...but so far....LUV THEM!... Micks latest  Chardonnay GEN 3 pre is a beauty to the Ears and Eyes...and without a doubt one if not the BEST audio decisions i ever made....if your on the fence about buying on of Micks masterpieces...well jump off it and BUY ONE....you'll be glad you waited and got the latest Model (GEN 3)...TRUTH!
audio123
98 posts
 
Like jtcf...not one to hijack a thread...But the Audio Mirror Tubadour 3 Dac we both own  is HIGHLY Recommend!  Hit me up with a PM if you have any questions on this tubed wonder DAC that made me sell My Schitt audio yggy 2 for a multitude of reasons....no back to all SUPRATEK!!!!
charliee's avatar
charliee
148 posts
 
Marcus, sorry I did not see your question until just now. I haven't received the Pinot yet, Mick is still tinkering on it. But, with the Syrah pre amp I did quite a bit of tube rolling. As far as the rectifier goes I tried the Mullard GZ34 and GZ37, Bendix 6106, RCA 5V4GA, Cossor 53KU. I could not tell a significant difference in swapping regulators. That is until I rolled in a pair or W.E. 350B's as regulators, then the Bendix 6106 was daddy'o! I put all the others away and stayed with the Bendix. On the 6SN7 I tried too many to list. All of the WWII Sylvania's are just great in the Supratek, as well as the 1949-1951's. You cant go wrong with any of them. But, the 6SN7A, 6SN7W, 6SN7 GT metal base version are easily superior to all other Sylvania's. The Ken-Rad black glass are excellent as well, but not as excellent as the Sylvanias. The very best 6SN7 that I used was easily the Tung-Sol black glass with the round or the oval micas. Just completely gorgeous organic sound when paired with the 350B as regulators, and the Bendix rectifier. I was also using Western Electric 417A in the phono section. 
charliee's avatar
charliee
148 posts
 
Audio 123, Western Electric never made a 6SN7 tube, nor an equivalent. Shuguang needs to go and do some research.
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