$5000

Our work in designing and building very high quality custom tube active crossovers led to the development of the Cabernet DUAL preamplifier- this is the most sonically advanced preamplifier available today, and is in many ways ahead of it's time. The DUAL has two seperate preamplifier sections with two sets of outputs. Both sections are high bandwidth, full range preamps with low output impedance capable of driving any power amplifier. One preamplifier stage uses a 6SN7 driving a 101D Directly Heated Triode which is transformer coupled to the output. DHT tubes are famous for their inherant transperancy, but this application takes the sonics into new areas of unvieled clarity and vividness. Only a DHT tube can provide real holographic imaging that is the ultimate in musicality. The sonics are liquid and frightenly lifelike with fantastic speed and resolution. This is not a slow and warm" tube" sound, but a sound that is close to the life of the music.

For 2010 the 101D tube has been replaced with either a 71A NOS tube or 300B - Supratek first used the 300B as a pre amp tube back in 1992 .If you want "magic" in your sound the 300B is liquid, warm and beguiling. The 71A is accurate, but with many of the attributes of the 300B, sharing the enduring qualities of DHT tubes, realism and "you are there" sound.

Pure Emotion.

The other preamplifier stage of the "DUAL" uses a 6SN7 driving a 6H30 tube in White Follower configuration. This gives superb response both in bass and treble bandwidths, and gives state of the art performance into any amplifier.

Perhaps not as musically satisfying as the 6SN7-71A/300B, it nevertheless has deep effortless bass and extended bandwidth way beyond audibilty.

Having two seperate preamplifier stages opens up the possibility for bi-amping using dedicated preamps/power amps for bass and mid/treble.

You will need a speaker that is capable of being bi-amped, ie the crossover will be split into bass and mid/treble sections with the terminals for each section brought out to the outside of speaker cabinet, so there will be two sets of terminals.

You will also need two separate stereo amplifiers or 4 monoblocks. Ideally one would use a tube amp for the mid/treble and perhaps a solid state amp for the bass. Both preamp outputs will drive both tube and solid state amps.

The preamp has a separate gain control for the 6H30 section mounted on back panel, and master control for both sections is on front panel.

However both preamp stages can be used entirely independently of each other - indeed you may just wish to use one section to drive your power amps.

The response to the Dual has been overwhelming- there is no other audio device that can make such a dramatic difference to the sound of your system.

The CABERNET DUAL was awarded best product of 2006 by www.6moons.com — the DUAL is ahead of it's time, and a worthy winner.

Full Review Here

Further Thoughts