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Supratek DHT


Herbyj

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44 minutes ago, Nada said:

 

Incorrect. The transformer covers shield EMI from the tubes. Thats important running directly heated tubes. 

 

Not quite Nada? There is a story to tell behind those chrome towers ...

 

In the the original Supratek design dating back to year <2000, the towers contained large plate type output transformers so fulfilled both a functional and aesthetic purpose. In the newer designs the Supratek preamps use those hi-tech small square blue amorphous core transformers that do a similar (or better) job sonically. These are now able to be housed inside the chassis or sometimes in the towers.

 

Gandra, give the guy a break about this. The chrome towers have been left in place as an 'aesthetic design choice' and a good move, imho. The Supratek preamp looks fantastic with the towers and I for one, would not like to see them go.

 

Steve.

Edited by Steve M
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13 minutes ago, Gandra said:

Reading reviews is the mistake I made in the first place! Sorry, the only thing I'm interested is what I hear. And I've heard good equipment, as well as bad, and can certainly tell the difference. Finally, I am likely to be very suspicious of someone writing that a piece of equipment sounds good, when my experience is quite the opposite. No matter how esteemed he/she might be, 

 

Hmmm, I guess people get suspicious about different things.

My spidey senses start tingling when someone comes on here just to rant about one particular product.....

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Oh dear.  I had resisted making any comment on this topic but our new poster seems to have opened a can of worms .

 

I owned one of the very first Micrex amps, lovely little hybrid power amp, still running strong down in Tasmania. Yes it had the little Chrome Domes too , a design feature of the builders amplifiers. My very best and oldest friend in Audio has a number pre-amps built by Mick personally for him here in South Australia when he lived here prior to returning to W.A. This was in the period between Micrex and Supa-Tec.  Another passionate Audio lover I know here in SA runs and  a Supra-Tec  pre-amp at the heart of his very accomplished system.

 

My Oldest friend in Audio feels his little Mick pre-amp is the finest match with his monster Amcrons he has ever heard. That exact same pre-amp when matched with my Cary 805 AE mono-blocks sounded terrible and was easily beaten by an Amber (Cary) pre-amp.

 

My highly accomplished tech when asked to take a look inside one of these (non production) pre-amps found it very hard to be diplomatic about his feeling regarding the build quality. My old audio mate how-ever has always believed the messier the wiring the better the sound.

 

My point is this. Gandra is not the only person to ever question the wiring in these amplifiers. I feel he is entitled to his opinion and also if he feels that the little chrome hats serve no real function outside of looking funky.

 

  Conversely the Supra-Tec pre-amps have received huge praise both here and overseas, a great feather in the builders hat and a successful Australian export. That members lavish them with praise reflects their experience. There is very real evidence that bundling wires has an adverse effect on sound quality . Far better to cross wires at 90 degrees. In the end one can only comment on their personal experience with a product.

 

I have been shockingly disappointed by some products that others feel are beyond reproach.  Is this not the point of forums? Surely they exist to reflect opposing experiences of the  same product. This is not to personally denigrate the product, simply to reflect what you as an individual in the confines of your system have experienced.

 

 

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I can make my Supratek preamp sound pretty ordinary if I run it with a power amp that is not compatible.

Over the the years I have owned plenty of preamps and some just don't gel with some power amps.There are electrical reasons for this.It would be nice if all preamps and all power amps were electrically the same but they are not.

I remember trying an ME25 preamp in my system and it did not sound much good at all.And yet that is a highly regarded preamp that can sound excellent with the right power amp.The same applied to a Metaxas preamp I owned but with the right power amp that could sound superb too.Perhaps the highest resolution preamps are more fussy?The Metaxas certainly had that reputation.

Even models from the same maker will vary over time.

 

Most people who get into this hobby seem to be able to readily grasp the concept that some amplifiers will suit some speakers better than others but many seem to struggle with accepting that the same thing applies to preamps and power amps.

Perhaps preamps should come with a warning about that?It is not however something that is a well kept secret and speakers do not come with similar warnings.

 

To really judge the worth of a preamp you probably need to hear it with at least half a dozen different power amps.

 

 

 

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1 hour ago, Gandra said:

Ok, my last post on this thread...

A picture is worth a thousand words.

You guys be cool and enjoy the hobby!

Internals of the Supratek Cabernet Dual preamp ($8000 when reviewed in 2006).JPG

 

I wish I could build to that quality.

 

Guys when a new poster is  trolling best not to take it seriously :)

 

Trolls.jpg

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ha ha, supratek threads always turn into this.

 

I have owned 2 of them, both great units, had a small issue with my first one, but was shipped back to Mick and repaired in no time

 

yep, sexy indeed

yep, messy as hell wiring

yep, sound brilliant

yep, always going to be haters with every brand....

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1 hour ago, Nada said:

 

I wish I could build to that quality.

 

 

I have no skin in this either way. Never heard one, can't have an opinion but I think that with the above post you may accidentally raise an interesting point... If I bought this as a 'home made' or DIY from a friend or fellow geek, I'd be more than accepting of that workmanship. Far above and beyond what I could ever do. But, it doesn't look 'professional'. It looks a little 'slapped together'.

This all to the casual observer. Once again, I've no idea how it sounds - good or bad - but if I had dropped big $ on one of these and popped the hood to find this - I think I'd be a bit concerned - if not a bit put out.

 

.

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3 hours ago, Gandra said:

Ok, my last post on this thread...

A picture is worth a thousand words.

You guys be cool and enjoy the hobby!

Internals of the Supratek Cabernet Dual preamp ($8000 when reviewed in 2006).JPG

 

A couple of comments:

 

- The wiring "issue" is well worn and has been discussed at length in the past and frankly, it's boring. The layout was chosen deliberately by the manufacturer, so while you may contend that it looks sloppy have you tried to find out why he chose to do it this way?

 

- you say that was your last post on this topic. Will we hear from you in other topics or did you just show up to crap on someone's product ?

 

 

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Hey Gandra,

How dare you come to our Congregation and tell us of your experiences about our Beloved Supreme Product! Who do you think you are?

We don’t care that you didn’t personally insult any one of us, called us names or shown any hostility towards the members of this Congregation, some of which have more than 2000 posts to their names.

We know that equipment can sound differently in various configurations, but frankly do not care that our BSP sounded bad in yours. We know that its wiring is poorly executed, but it was done on purpose, so that it sounds even better. Who in their right mind will look under the hood anyway, when the outside is so shiny and sparkly! What’s under the hood doesn’t matter really matter, it’s the shiny sparkly externals that sells the product. And we’re all happy to pay big bucks for it.

Look around the net you fool. So many reputable reviewers have praised our BSP, which must make you feel so alone, so insignificant. You are just a troll who came here to crap on our BSP and we will have none of that. Take your hating elsewhere, go back to lurking where you belong, and let this Congregation continue to worship and happily sing praises of our BSP.

Goodbye Gandra!

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I tinker under the hood of stuff, that wiring is a non-issue to me. I have seen bundled wire in commercial stuff, and with some stuff the bundling of wires are indiscriminate and detract from what the kit is capable off in SQ.

 

If some folk think it an issue that's OK, preceptions vary.

 

Edit: I have no vested interest is Supratek, never heard one, never owned one or will. So a fanboi tag doesn't fit, doesn't even fit the thread or anyone one it :)

Edited by Muon
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Yeah its neat, but does it sound like absolute hi-end? 

 

The Supratek by worldwide reputation is considered to be one of the best preamps. You've had one comment above from an ex-owner of the Coincident CSLS (an excellent $6K DHT linestage from the USA) - that it is easily bested by the Supratek. Comments like this are more telling than any conjecture about untidy wiring.

 

Steve.

Edited by Steve M
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15 minutes ago, Steve M said:

Yeah its neat, but does it sound like absolute hi-end? 

 

The Supratek by worldwide reputation is considered to be one of the best preamps. You've had one comment above from an ex-owner of the Coincident CSLS (an excellent $6K DHT linestage from the USA) - that it is easily bested by the Supratek. Comments like this are more telling than any conjecture about untidy wiring, imho.

 

Steve.

 

I am certainly not questioning the performance of the Supratek gear. Like you said they have an excellent reputation and I believe they would perform as such.

 

I just don't understand why it has to be messy?

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 I  am not so keen on those wires all bundled together like that.I have had experience with a DHT power amp wired like that and some problem caused the ballast resistor on one channel to go and most of the wires that were bundled together welded themselves together.What a stinking mess that was!That amplifier was made in Japan so not some cheap Chinese creation.

 

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A few years ago I took along a Cymer preamp (stunning sound) to compare to a Supratek (linestage only model). The price of both preamps was about the same. Because the differences were very small, I remember we were both happy with our own preamps. 

That Supratek wasn't a DHT. 








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