Supratek or Don Sachs - which way to go?

I actually own the latest versions of both the Sachs and the Chardonnay.  For the most part their sound is very similar with the Sachs leaning a bit more to the neutral side and I have rolled six different sets of tubes through it with only slight variances in tone.  In terms of flexibility Highstream is right about that with the Supratek's Balanced and SE inputs and outputs in addition to it's variable 0-25 db gain control and L/R balance control. A positive or negative based on your outlook is the power supply being in a separate chassis.  The Sachs gets the upper hand in remote functions as the Supratek's only do Mute and Volume.  One thing you really need to take into consideration with the Sachs that you don't with Supratek's is amp and speaker matching. As the newest Sachs has a fixed gain of 18db you can't just pair it up with any speaker and amp combo and not get tube noise.  For example in my Main system the speakers are Verity Otello which the manufacturer specs as 93 db.  That is likely higher than reality and closer to 90 db. With the Sachs in the system I started with the Van Alstine Vision SET 400 amp that I bought the Sachs to pair with. It has an input sensitivity according to the designer of 2.4 volts and the combo is dead silent until you put your ear basically touching the tweeter. When I substituted the Kinki Studio EX-M7 with an input sensitivity of 1.45 volts you could hear tape noise within about 2 feet though not noticeable at the seating position.  So no what you are going to pair it with before you buy.  Neither amp would have had any issue with the Supratek and haven't as you can easily adjust the gain on the amp to eliminate the hiss.  So it's going to come down to which features are more important to you in the end for a very similar sound. 

The 10K input sensitivity of my ATC SCM19A actives was also an issue with the Sachs. Don would have needed to use (very good) Mundorf 3 uF silver oil cap instead of his favorite Polish .47 uF oil one for fit in the case, with $125 for the difference. Not an issue with the Supratek.

As you say, one difference is that the Supratek has a separate power supply, which means an umbilical. The one provided is not bad, but my experience is that the SQ effect of umbilicals and even 5v lines can typically be improved significantly (as a textbook engineer, Mick doesn’t believe that could be true). Ironically, I lucked into a cable maker who also doesn’t believe it, but nonetheless offered to make me one in a private deal with the Belden high quality copper with silver plating that he uses for internal wiring of the headphone amps he builds. The result was like taking the Chardonnay a good half step up the sound quality ladder. Revelation Audio also makes them commercially for the Supratek.

My only worry with Supratek is the cost of shipping were a tube socket to go bad.

My Sachs has the 1.5 uF Polish caps so good down to 20 and the only amp I've ever owned that got close to that was the Odyssey Kismet at 22k.  Haven't tried the Sachs with any of the amps in combination with the Fritz Carrera Be's which at 86 db would probably eliminate any noise issues.  I suspect than Don's final choice in the "fixed" gain for this version of the preamp was based on what he thought was the best match for his Kootenay amp. Anyway they're both great preamps and you just have to decide which on fits your current or future circumstances. I am not going to get into nitpick differences between the two in terms of Soundstage, Imaging or any of the other "Audiophile" reviewer catch phrases. Look at your system realistically in terms of amp input sensitivity and real speaker sensitivity (not what the manufacturer publishes) and make the choice that best fits your needs.  Sound wise you won't go wrong with either. 

Hello, 'Markus'.

It appears as though you and I might be able to get together in May or June of 2021 to compare our preamps (so long as you haven't found someone else with a DS Model 2  nearby). I anticipate that I'll have been vaccinated by then.

How are you enjoying your Supratek? 

 A little late but in reply to @Soundmasteraudio,..   The 'Domes' on the Supra's have been used in the past as needed to house output transformers.   Not all of the pre's Mick builds needs that 'extra' space as most of the time the transformers used can be easily fit in the chassis.  In this case the Domes are there cosmetically.   In my opinion they look really good and I would opt to keep/have them there even if only cosmetic.   They really kinda define that original 'Supratek' look but some of the newer pre's have Heatsinks in their place as previously mentioned.  My understanding is that the Domes cost Mick a fair amt to have made and they are becoming hard to source form the supplier as well so he is using them more for his 'upper end' builds..

@Highsteam and any one else interested,   Mick has a repair tech in the US to cover any warranty (or other) issues that arise,  so no need to send all the way back to AU. 

For anyone considering a Supra and for what it's worth,  I've had a couple older Supra's in the house over the last few months.  An older Cab/dual with the 101's and a SN7 Grange  along with my personal Cortese LCR.   They are built like tanks and the build quality is top notch.   Forget about the talk about bad wiring,  etc,.   everything in these units is overly secure and all components are readily fastened to terminal strips that are bolted down to the chassis.  Wiring is solid core and 'floats'  (ie,  not zip tied together).  This is no issue as the wire is stiff and does not move like floppy stranded wire.   While maybe not as 'pretty' as wiring that is all zip tied together,  It is still very easy to trace the circuit by eye and make any repairs that could be needed.  Absolutely no issue!