Chardonnay

About the Chardonnay

The Supratek Chardonnay is a hand-built, two-chassis, all-tube line preamplifier from Australian designer Mick Maloney. It uses a cascaded two-stage 6SN7 triode circuit with transformer-coupled output, tube rectification, and dual shunt-regulated power-supply channels. The design emphasizes wide bandwidth, low output impedance, dynamic performance, musicality, and compatibility with both tube and solid-state power amplifiers. Current Supratek information describes the Chardonnay as the company’s entry-level preamplifier and continues to list it as part of the product portfolio; therefore, it does not appear to be discontinued. Specifications vary by production generation and options, particularly the input/output complement, remote control, finishes, and gain controls.