Is Supratek Syrah still the deal of the century?

I know this is a bit off topic remark, but have you ever seen the inside of a Supratek unit when it is opened. I always get scared when I see one: it is very complex and messy, because Mick is using point to point wiring throughout and it seems that there is no effort being made to keep the layout as tidy and conveniently as possible. You have to be a sort of experienced DIY audiophile when you owns a Supratek unit, so you can do minor repairs if necessary. Otherwise only one man on this planet can do the repairs and that is the designer (Mick) himself.

Chris

To add to Dazz's remark:

Not to mention he lives in Australia, how much does it cost to ship if a repair is needed? While I am sure it is a great unit and lives up to the hype, this would be a deal-breaker for me.

Matty,
My understanding is that Mick's partner, Kevin Covi (who helped design some of the Suprateks)is in the USA. Their website also states that most technicians would be able to do any likely repair work, and that Mick would provide instruction by phone and/or email in that case. I don't believe many have had to ship their units back to Mick for repair.
FWIW, I don't own a Supratek, just happen to have seen this info lately. Cheers,
Spencer

Sbank,

Thnx for the info, that is good to know and makes a big difference, to me anyway.

Things have not changed :) When I was a student, I was in a hi-fi shop when Mick brought his first prototype power amp in. He was a scruffy bearded man in faded jeans and old sneakers. I haven't seen him for >10 years ... he's probably an older scruffy bearded man with the same sneakers!

Back then, it was called "Micrex" (named after Mick and his partner, Rex). It was an awful looking thing - all exposed with messy wiring. The hi-fi dealer (Clifford de Souza, of Audio Synergy in Perth) suggested a chrome case with jarrah cheeks and presto, the first Micrex was born.

I ran a Micrex power amp in my system for a couple of years. It was exposed to incredibly hot Perth weather - could go up to 45C in summer (that's 115F). It ran absolutely reliably.