Supratek

Here are some owner comments on Supratek Amplifiers.These comments are from experienced music enthusiasts :

"Just wanted to let you know how much I like the Cabernet. An excellent piece
of work. It is undoubtedly the best preamp I've even heard. "

"Just like to say a big thank you for the amp it is simply wonderful. The few hours I have had it running the sheer quality of the preamp is sublime".

"The linestage of the Chenin (with stock tubes only) is divine! I mean, I never heard Ray Brown until I played it using the Chenin as preamp, the music from it can be easily mistaken as live performance, not live recorded performance! You are in the venue where the band is playing. It is that good to me."

"Thanks for letting us (Supratek owners) experience what many years of fine tuning you invested to create such a product. You are very good in what you do sire!"

"After just three hours of music I can honestly say
that all the praising I've read of your preamps is really well deserved.
Without going into details and not being a writer, I can say that this unit
seems really remarkable. Tonality, dinamics, resolution, and natualness of
presentation are simply the best we both had heard out of this system by
far.
All I can say is thanks and congratulations on a true great product, I
really feel part of a lucky few."

"A few weeks with the Sauvignon have passed and I love it even more than at the beginning. The midrange keeps reminding me about the best 300B SET amps. I can’t imagine living without its liquidity and harmonic rightness, it’s simply so musical and natural. "

"WOW! The effortlessness and spatial presentation is just indescribable! The bottom end reproduction in nothing short of spectacular! Never has my system given me such vicarial, earthshaking low end with a tautness that is most realistic.
The midrange is more spacious than ever with a palpability that must be heard (of course, you have).
And the top end is as sweet as ever!"

>thing you ever heard. "

"Mick, the amps are so very different from any others I've had the opportunity to audition that I'm having difficulty finding the words to describe my findings (and pleasures).
First let me comment on the quietness. THERE IS NO NOISE, PERIOD. How the hell did you accomplish this. I don't care which product(s) from which manufacturer I've auditioned, there has always been some residual noise, albeit slight, when you put your ear close to the speakers. Not with the current Cortese/Burgundy combo I now have. This total absence of background noise (not noise within the program material) is almost spooky! What it does do is aid to the spectacular spatial and localization components of the listening experience.
The low frequency reproduction is -- well, unbelievable! I now understand what you describe as the ability to completely differentiate instruments playing in the same frequency region as you mentioned in your blur about the Burgundy on your website.
I've had some pretty amazing amps in my demo systems, ones with credible praise from all especially with regard to their low frequency prowess. Amps such as the Spectral DMA360's, ARC REF 600's, and HP's favorite (I think) the ASL Hurricanes.
Well, let me tell you (I know you already know this) the bottom end performance of these little 100 watt amps is staggering. Never have I experience such authority with such resolute finesse as the same time. Do they go low-OH YES! Do they have impact--OH MY GOD YES! Do they have that natural bloom that is real in music without that sluggish overhang--OH YES! I think you get my drift. I have been finding a wealth of musical information within those lower frequencies that I've never heard before and it is most rewarding.
The midrange. What can I say about the midrange that hasn't already been said of tube midranges? Well, here is where I find myself wanting to say a lot, but am having real difficulty describing what I am hearing as it is SO VERY DIFFERENT from what I would compare it to. So, I'm going to hold off for a moment and move onto the high frequency region of these amps reproduction as it may have more to do with my perception of the midrange than I realize.
What I am about to say is based on what I am familiar with and that is a very extended top end with "sparkle" that does portray a very airy, lifelike high frequencies within my listening room. As you know my speakers are the Avalon Diamonds which have the German made diamond tweeters who's response is extended out to 100K
(-3db). They are not bright or edgy or fatiguing (on their own). This speaker has the most realistic top end that I or many others have experienced and a well recorded piece of music through these speakers is a true joy to listen to. What I am experiencing today (only 50+ hours on the amps) is a "darkened" top end. The information is there, but very laid back. I'm referring to the very top end frequencies not the upper mids (like a large cymbal crash). That very extended ringing of a triangle or finger cymbal that as I remember with the Cortese driving other amps seems to go on forever, isn't with the Burgundies. I can't decide if it is a rolling off of the top frequencies or just a diminished overall output level in the higher range. This "lack of extension" or whatever is tough getting used to, but I'm hanging in there. Maybe this will change (improve) with time.
Back to the midrange. It is absolute the most Luscious, palpable, to die for midrange one could ask for. Everything has such warmth, as in real not colored, that I sit in my listening chair in absolute amazement! As you know, I work in the pro audio field and this gives me the opportunity to experience live sounds from instruments and vocalists on a regular basis. Have you ever stood 8 ft. from a drum kit while a talented drummer was playing? I have and it isn't BRIGHT OR TOP HEAVY! The cymbals are warm sounding. These is a "wood" sounding component to the presentation. With the Burgundies it is the same. So alluring. Strings are wonderful, so much information with regard to the body of the instruments being played, not just he strings. I happen to be a cello freak. I could listen to well recorded (sometimes not so well recorded) cello works all day. Well, through the Burgundies it is like HEAVEN!
A recorded voice through the amps seems to be so right. There is that "chesty" quality that is present in real speech that all to many times is missing in playback.
If there is a natural semblance in the recording, it has a midrange component to it that hear when listening to people speak and/or sing in my presence.
Midrange transients are BODY to them. I call it weight. They are not just all leading high frequency components, as I have experienced many times, but there is body to the transient. It makes the impact VERY REAL. Talk about a rim shot taking your head off--Yes take my head off!!!!!
So I'm going to stop rambling now. I want to go listen some more. If you have any thoughts regarding these first comments, please respond. I'm already forming more thoughts as I am writing this to you."

"just want to tell you your preamp is the best I have heard and a keeper. Cant imagine one could sound any better.Really made my system come together finally. BTW is bested my pre's selling for up to $8000 new like the following in my system;

Wavac PR-X1
Audio Note M5 - yes yours is better
Thor TA1000 - yes yours is better
Joule La100

Great job! A keeper for many years as you say!"

"Now that I've had your creation for a few weeks and have matched the phono
stage with a suitable, low-output cartridge, I must exclaim: amazing! What
marvelous wholeness to the sound and what a liquid presentation! To say
nothing of the beautiful craftsmanship and finish. A million thanks."

"From the moment I turned it on, my brother and I both commented within 10
seconds that the sound is something special by using my sound reference
disc, "Dickson and Martinez - Falseta"
The sound was pardon the teminology was "Very smooth and liquidy", very
involving with a very strong bottom end. Previously, the sound had a very
good sound stage and depth but lacked warmth. Now, the music is so smooth,
frankly, I'm left speechless. In fact there seems to be little more detail
as well, but I'm sure how that is possible."

"The unit arrived in perfect working order (whew). It really is a lovely
piece of art. Perhaps because of its long journey or perhaps because it
needed some more break-in, it took about 2 hours to get going. My initial
impression is that I love it. Having read lots of owner's impressions, I
expected the warmth, liquidity and dynamism, but the way the Chardonnay
effortlessly blends these elements, as well as the spot-on tonality of
instruments, caught me by surprise. Or perhaps I should say the way it
connveys emotion... If it improves with age I'm going to need a bigger
drool cup. This was worth the wait. I will be spreading the word on a few
online forums."

" And thanks for designing and building a superior preamp at a truly great price. You
have much to be proud of."

"I've just had a small listening session just know, after letting the
unit warm up for about an hour or so.
The 3D imaging is absolutely amazing, there is something about all the
instruments on the CD - BluesQuest. The music carries so much weight,
with each instrument having a distinct position in space. It's almost
scary because it actually sounds so real. "

"I think it is the unit wearing in. Today the problem I mentioned in the
previous email is slowly disappearing, thus I now actually prefer this
sound. The weight of the music is astonishing.
You are indeed a master of your profession."

"After a long wait I have it: the Supratek Chardonnay. My audio system
experimented several upgrades within the last few months, with fine results.
So I was expecting the Chardonnay to improve the overall sound once more.
Well, it did. That and more: right out of the box, this preamp changed my
impression of music."

"I realised that I had been listening to electronics before the Chardonnay
arrived. If you want the ususal audiophile talk, I can easily tell I'm now
experimenting a much more deeper and layered soudstage, improved dynamics
and pace, tighter bass (yet deep), natural highs, precise focusing and
excellent articulation with lots of air. I can now understand why Supratek
owners choose not to mention a warm or cold kind of sound. It is just plain
natural. But what really impressed me was a completely new LIFE-LIKE
presentation of music which is absolutely INVOLVING."

Superb"

"I've given the Cortese a good listen. The Phono section is the best I've
ever heard. I'm now satisfied that I'll be happily living with the Cortese
for a lonnnnng time! It is truly a sonic masterpiece in my mind. I
appreciate your service to get me happy with the unit. "

"Just wanted to let you know that my Syrah arrived yesterday in flawless
condition, and has since been producing some amazing music in my living
room. I was expecting certain improvements in sound over my solid state
preamp, which all came true, but I was NOT expecting the bass to be better,
let alone much better. Plus, the thing is dead quiet at the full gain
setting in my system. I was a little apprehensive of this after reading the
posts on Audiogon but my fears have proven pointless. I listened last night
from the time I got home until falling asleep, and I look forward to many
more nights like this. You ARE the true craftsman!"

"I am still in awe over my preamp! No component that I have listened to in 30 years has made this big a positive difference and sounds so incredibly life-like."

"I could write a complete description about its attributes ala the reviewers but I will only say this: the Cortese is the only preamp I have heard that made me listen to the ebb and flow of the music, captured the soul of the performance and kept me listening to the performance instead of the to the component - again a first for me."

"Just wanted to say thanks so much for the Syrah. I received it yesterday and had a thrilling evening rediscovering my CDs. I managed to break the stylus on my record player yesterday too, so that was a bit of downer, and so I wasn't able to sample the delights of the phono stage, but have ordered a new cartridge. I got your manual via email. Many thanks. The packaging of the unit was superb - nicely done. The sound of the preamp really is glorious. I sensed a nice improvement with a NOS pair of 6SN7s, but even the stock was awesome. I seem to find the sound crisp, detailed, revealing, and yet, relaxed, confident, easy and grain-free. It's a gem of a unit - well done."

"The Cortese linestage makes a considerable improvement over not using any linestage at all. Upuntil now I've been running my Audionote dac straight into my Wavacs and while they drive the Wavacs to respectable levels they fall far short of the sound that is produced when I add the Cortese linestage. Music is much more dynamic and controlled with the linestage in. The lower octaves are also considerably better rendered ( I picked up about half an octave at the very bottom). Ambience is enhanced such that there is mcuh more of a sensation of being there at the recorded event. All in all its remarkable given that I've added an active stage and improved performance considerably."

"Just wanted to reiterate my excitement with the Syrah. It is just wonderful and I couldn't be happier. It is just remarkable that a product at this price point can be produced that also looks as good as it sounds. My wife is also quite pleased, with the sound. Listened an hour the second night and commented on how natural the music was. She's usually up and about at that point but stuck around listening intently to some Gershwin piano solos as though we were at the concert. It isn't her cup of tea to sit so long listening to music. She has never in our 15 years of marriage made such a comment about any audio component I've owned. The music reaches the emotion with this pre. Enough gushing but couldn't resist telling you again how please I am."

"Hello Mick, Well after a long back and forth with FedEx, the Cortese arrived!! First off, let me say that this is one gorgeous piece of
artistry......."

"The sound even so was so beyond what I've ever experienced that I almost wept.......... I'm completely amazed, impressed, grateful, and in awe of what you've created. Thank you so much!! I'm listening with a pair of Sonus Faber Guarneris, a used Audio Research VT 100 MKII amp, and all silver interconnects. And it truly bliss. I'll add my voice to the pack on Audiogon, where I first learned of your work. "

"Well Mick...I've had a few days of intimate listening to your Merlot monoblocs in combination with the Syrah pre-amp, and they're quite incredible !

The sound typifies that very refined, musical character of Single-Ended-Triode mode without the syrupy, thickened sound of many other amps of the type.

They look absolutely stunning, even my high end importer friend who always bitches because I don't buy Jadis, Cat, Paravicini............ from him was speechless. The regulator tubes look incredibly cool!

I took them home from work, and they biased up beautifully and greeted me with black silence. I have been working with hifi stuff since I was 13, and have learned to trust first impressions. These amps are by far the best I have heard in 15 years!

They are very precise and transparent, but not in the "Mark Levinson" way. Everything flows naturally and unforced, but bad recordings still sound bad. Soundstage is huge and 3D. "

"I couldn't wait. I'm playing hooky (guess I can, I own the business). As I am typing this to the Cortese is providing me with exactly what I expected-- MUSIC--LIFE--LOVE. thank you do very much for such a fine design. Your workmanship is superb! The sound is gorgeous! Now to invite all whom I know over to experience this wonderful product.

(Later)As the night worn on, it got better and better. There is continuum of the presentation that is uncanny. There is significantly more information and at the same time the presentation is much more "caring." As if each musician, artist was taking special care in playing specifically for me. I don't know that I did a good job of describing what I am experiencing. There is just more detail, more transient information, more dynamics (like the real thing), more quiet, and at the same time for more listenable.

The real surprise is that family members and friends who have stayed away form t he listen room in the past (for what ever reason), now wish to at least stick their heads in the room occasional just to give a listen. Maybe it is better to know less and just appreciate it more! Thanks again and oh by the way, thanks for the remote control. What a god sent!"

(Later)"I am incredibly hook on this phono section of your design. It is like listening to music again (like I did in the late 60's and 70's!" (Later)"Mick, I can't even begin to REALLY THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE OF MUSIC AND ABILITIES TO PRODUCE SUCH A DEVICE THAT HAS IN THE VERY SHORT TIME I'VE HAD MADE ME SO VERY PLEASED. MUSIC IS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL LANGUAGE AND WHEN IT IS SO ARTICULATELY CONVEYED AS THE CORTESE DOES, IT'S A MAGICAL EXPERIENCE TO SAY THE LEAST."

"Mick
Got the pre last week and it is as beautiful as you described. Better still, the sound is amazing. As much as fellow owners advocate tube-rolling, I am very pleased with the sound of the tubes you used in this one. I may try new tubes as a kick, but I could not be more pleased with this unit. One minor quibble--I did add a remote to my order back in late march/early April. I can certainly live without one, but felt it worth mentioning. Although this preamp is probably the "cheapest" part of my system, it is the crown jewel. It is simply transformed my system entirely, bringing it to a level I never dreamed of. I am losing sleep every night listening. Just beautiful.
Thanks for your excellent craftsmanship and expertise. One very satisfied customer,"

"Your wonderful Syrah preamplifier arrived last night, and I have very much enjoyed listening to it till almost 4:00 this morning. An incredibly DYNAMIC sound, very revealing, strong, and yes, actually fun to listen to! You have done an outstanding job.....

Also, the box in which it was packed made a great impression in and of itself. I can't stress enough what an impact that can have for a customer-- it is a real indication of how the designer feels and cares for his product. Everything arrived in perfect condition. In fact it was a real joy discovering the care with which the unit was packed as I lifted layer upon layer of foam, rubber, cardboard and finally those plastic bags containing the merchandise.....

So far, I am very impressed with the unit, and I don't say that lightly, as I have had quite a number of commercially accepted units here from Cary, BAT, Audio Research, and quite a few handmade units as well. None of them display quite the dynamics and clarity, with that good strong lower midrange and bass, that the Syrah has so far demonstrated. I look forward to spending some more time with it to get a better idea of its strengths and character."

"I have my system working very well now. The ET2 and Ortofon MC3000 are pretty well dialed in and the table is working nicely with them. The Supratek Syrah phono/linestage is breaking in and all is coming together. I have never heard anything close to the inner detail coming though this setup. It is as clean, clear and focused as I've heard. Transparency, resolution, blah blah.. Good stuff Mick. Thanks!"

"Now starts the praise!!!!!!! I am BLOWN AWAY!!!!! I know that the unit is not even broken in yet but I have never heard my system sound like this! I never thought that a tubed phono stage could be this quiet, especially with a low output MC. I have been using the PASS LABS Aleph Ono phono stage which is highly regarded and your PRE crushes it. I am hearing more detail, bloom, air, etc.,etc.etc. I am one very happy camper and I am sure it will get better with age (like the fine wine you have named it after)."

"Remarkable, actually. It is transparent, has exceptional tonal balance, macro and micro dynamics, quiet, and most of all, and most importantly, it is totally involving."

"I've run the preamp for a few hours, put some RCA 5692's, an old British 5AR4, adjusted the gain settings, and adjusted the phono loading. It sings now!!! The preamp is pure music, very transparent, and allows my horns to throw a huge soundstage. I gave up on the audiophile spacial cues when I decided to keep my horns and dump some Legacy Focus speakers. Dynamics won out over audiophile tricks. Now I'm getting even more out the horns. The preamp has opened up the music and provides incredible detail and life. There is a sense of depth and 3D to the music. The bass is tight and very musical, too. The phono section is amazing, as well. How you can make such a great looking and great sounding preamp for this price is beyond me. Keep up the work!!!!!!"

"The sound is very open and clear. Lots of little details are there, but not in my face. The decay of final notes on piano (Reuben Gonzalez) and guitar is amazing - it just hangs in space and disappears into infinity. The system is amazingly quiet - no buzz or hum at all. The noise on tape-mastered and poorly recorded CD's is audible, and even it is defined!! The sound is definitely not dark, wooley or muffled. The system plays suprisingly loud with the gain at 10:00, although I won't be able to test the limits until the neighbors are gone."

"Ive only had the chance to have a couple of decent listens to the amps, but they are just fabulous and extremely musical."

"The most important bit. Initial impression: THEY SOUND BRILLIANT. Really took my breath away! Thank you very much. I am salivating at the thought that your preamp would take this even further."

Dynamics, transparency,tone.......They were all were absolutely incredible, even with this short experience. Makes my ****** sound sick.

"Most importantly, I listened to the line stage last night, and I have to tell you that it sounds great. The best I have ever heard."

"I am really enthusaistic about your amplifier, when it is very hot (2 hours) it sounds really very smoothly, the bass frequency are distinctly audible one by one; I mean that the instruments are all different. Drum foot is not double-bass!! Even my wife who went to concert to hear her Favorite Singer recognize his voice and the orchestra."

"the preamp arrived , well packed and everything is perfect working.I have no hummmmm and the soud is great."

"The sound is liquid and well balanced, voices are wonderful, the amp has the right pace and is harmonically correct. I am very happy with the sound .On the whole Mick, they are as I suspected, very special."

"In the meantime the amps are probably the best I've heard in my system to date including a S.E. design (*****) built to very high standards. I congratulate you and appreciate everything that you are and continuing to do for me. I am going to put 50-60 hrs before making any final conclusions but I can honestly say that these are the best amps I have owned. You deserve to know that. I would easily put these amps next to any of the great amplifiers available today. I have not been able to find any significant shortcomings. They have adequate power to run difficult loads and make a some demanding speakers sound great."

"First of all, I've listened to the Syrah for only 48 hours so I'm not yet fully acquainted with it. She also needs some time to break in and I've yet to tube roll. That said, the Syrah is one phenomenal preamp. I've had a few good ones in my life, the Syrah is the best. Mick Maloney must be congradulated for his achievement. He's also crazy to sell this knockout of a preamp at such a bargain price. If you've been thinking about picking one up, don't hesitate or you may be paying alot more for it when you finally get around to it. My very first impression while listening to the Syrah was how effortless music sounded. There was no compression of dynamics, no edge, just music pulling me in and holding me until the end of an LP or CD. Oh, and btw, for those who might have heard that the Syrah's linestage wasn't all that great, well, IMO, the linestage rocks right along with the phono section. Apparently, there is someone in my area doing mods on Syrahs claiming the linestage sucks. That guy needs his hearing checked. Getting back to my listening impressions of the Syrah, the next thing I was impressed by was the bass. Deep, powerful and tuneful. My previous linestage was a hybrid affair with excellent bass. The Syrah does it one better. I've done some prelimary comparisons to my Aesthetix Io and at this point I find the Io a bit better than the Syrah's phono section, just a bit though. The Io through the Syrah is amazing. Another indication of the quality of the line section. Keep in mind however that the Syrah sells for half of what the Io alone sells for. The Syrah is also a champion in the detail department. It's all there in a smooth, transparent and musical way.

Guess you can tell that I'm blown away by the Syrah. If it sounds even better after a time, and I expect it to, I may never leave my listening room. Kudos to Mick Maloney."

"Before taking a flyer and ordering the Syrah I borrowed the BAT VK 30i, Sonic Frontiers Line 2, Air Tight ATC-3, EAR 834 (line and phono in separate chassis) as well as listening to a few others (CJ, VTL, ARC) at different shops in the Bay Area. I wasn't particularly impressed with any of those pieces. They weren't bad, just didn't do enough for me to spend the money on them. I was ready to take the next step and spend big dollars for Hovland, CAT, Thor, Herron, etc., and also was considering the Emotive Sira (18 tubes!) but I started reading the buzz about the Supratek and ordered one in late October of last year. I received it about 1 month later, shipped just about on schedule via FedEx ($130) and packed superbly. I did have to pay an additional $103 for duties, which is kind of hit and miss I think depending upon the specific Port of Entry.

Let's see, audio speak aside I really think it is a nice piece of equipment. I'll hit the highlights for you IMHO, YMMV, worth every penny you paid, blah blah blah:

It is well constructed, heavier than I thought it (they, power supply as well) would be. I haven't opened it up, but I'm sure it is as well put together inside as well as outside. The chrome and wood work are first rate, connectors and switches are solid and tight. The power switch could be a little more robust, but what do I know?

It gives me more music from my records and cd's than any of the other preamps I listened to at what I consider a great price in this hobby. It has plenty of gain for LO MC cartridges (I like the high gain for my cd player). Want HiFi terms? soundstage, imaging, bass, highs, PRAT (whatever that is) depth, height, width, precision... all improved with the addition of the Syrah. Granted, I went from the pre out of my old NAD 314 amp before the Syrah, but none of the above that I auditioned really gave me much more than that NAD did for the $2000 - $4000 asking price, and some didn't even have a phono stage, tack on another 2-4k for that.

I know Mick is especially proud of the phono stage, but the line stage is really something. While most of my cd's (classical) don't give me the same experience as my records (do note the difference in digital and analog systems below though) some of them sound truly outstanding on the Syrah. I don't feel cheated listening to cd's anymore. That being said, the sound from my analog system with good material (London, Decca, Mercury, RCA LS) is huge, even in my small room with my teeny speakers. With mediocre material (almost all DG records and cd's)it is more listenable than ever before. Not additive, just giving me more of what's in the grooves and pits."

"Also I went straight to pre and ran it as you said my cheap little cdp which I could not stand to listen to before. GLORIOUS. I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS. IT ACUTALLY MAKES CD'S SOUND PRETTY GOOD. This is just phenomenal........ If it will do this for my lps, I will be in heaven. THANKS MICK!"

"The Syrah arrived Tuesday, but I have been so busy listening that this is the first chance that I have had to contact you. You are a true craftsman. Thank you for building me such a beautiful preamp. It arrived in perfect condition and the sound is unbelievable!Thanks again for a magnificent preamp. You are the BEST!"

I love the way your amp 'gets in and amongst the musicians' and opens up the performance of each player...you can kind of concentrate on what each musician is playing. Treble notes are struck cleanly without sibilance or sharpness, and the extension, texture and harmonic purity of cymbals (which are difficult to reproduce) is something to behold.

The whole sound is very three dimensional. Sometimes you get an impression that it could be more 'open' or more 'vivid' and not so soft sounding, that it could be a bit sharper. On switching back to my other amps to get a bit of this sharpness back, I am left dissatisfied with these amps (ie, the amp running Vaic 302B's and the N.E.W DCA-33 Class A battery powered s.s amp). As good as they are of giving you an impression of detail, they are flat sounding and just lack the 'life' and ' 3-D effect' of the Merlots.

Basically my other amps just don't get it right. The Merlots are beguiling and magical, the music through them 'makes sense'...it ebbs and flows naturally (like the tide or the gentle crashing of waves on a beach); there is a layering to the music; it captures the recorded acoustic perfectly (bad recordings sound BAD...it makes no excuses); this is an extremely relaxing and unfatiguing sound that will appeal to those with efficient speakers and people who want their ears stroked and caressed - not battered by the solid state monsters out there. To those with a refined taste and a sense of proportion, I don't think it gets any better than the Supratek Syrah - Merlot combination."

Owner Impressions