Preamp Deal of the Century

Thanks a lot guys for you input; I have got it all figured out now.
All I have to do now is to place the order and wait patiently. I already have a good supply of NOS tubes from a headphone amp I had previously, including the Sylvania "bad boys" and metal base, Ken Rad, Tungsol round plate

I have read part of this thread and am interested in the Chardonnay, but I am trying to understand how the HT bypass work and have a couple of other questions to see if it suits my needs:
- I understand that the HT bypass involves a switch to be manually positioned and it works with the Chardonnay switched off. So if I connect the HT pre/pro to the input with bypass and I switch off the Chardonnay I can then use the pre/pro through the main speakers without the Chardonnay interfering in the sound. Is this correct? Please explain me how this works with very simple words, as I am having troubles understanding this HT by-pass thing
- Does the remot control only operates on the volume control, or does it also switch the unit on and off, or does it also allow to switch from an input to another?
- Do you have a rough idea of how long it takes at the moment between ordering and receiving the unit?

Thanks a lot Maril, I think I have got it right this time.
The only thing I still don't get is if the by-pass is allowed both when the Chardonnay is on and when it is off. Enjoy your Montecillo!

Can anyone comment about the remote of the Chardonnay: does it only works for volume control or does it also shitch on/off the unit and/or allows to cycle through different inputs?