Pre-amp opinions: SAE vs. Hafler

Thanks for all the recommendations. Made an offer on the SAE but didn't end up getting it. Decided to bite the bullet and picked up the Hafler for $125 shipped. I'll reply to the sound once everything is received and hooked up. My denon just recently decided to develop a pop and some static so looks like i'll be searching for a new digital source sooner rather than later. Looking at a Marantz PMD320 or potentially an NAD 512 i can pick up locally for around $50. Marantz is going for $60 shipped on ebay, any opinions? Only good part about the changer dying is getting some quality time with my cassettes, all five of them haha

@Pdspecl

That B&K looks nice, didn't realize i had any replies until today, would've made an offer had i noticed sooner. This forum is a great resource, thanks for your reply.

@Heyraz

My dad gave similar advice; keep what you have and save up for equipment that won't need upgrading. He has a nice carver set up with mission speakers, the same system he has owned for the last 20 years (most of my life). This route definitely makes the most sense but i'm a little too impatient. I think i'll end up going through a number of pieces before i settle on a final system. I guess looking for me is half the fun. The acurus is very nice, maybe i'll get a chance to try one in the future, who knows. Thanks for the input.

http://www.angelfire.com/art2/stereorepair117/highend.htm
Here's a site that does repairs. What I found interesting is that most equipment usually fails the same way, so these guys have listed many known issues. Take a look before you jump. Patience pays off in the long run. When I was in college I started out with what I could afford and a plan that when something failed, I would take the opportunity to upgrade it rather than simply replace it. After a while I got sick and tired of being nickeled and dimed to death by mediocre equipment and bought my first "real" preamp (Hegeman Hapi2). Still with me today on a secondary system and sounds great.
Sorry to say it..but listen to your dad. Enjoy the Hafler. It's a great starter preamp.

Great resource, i know the sae and hafler stuff has some weak points, so i'm sure i'll be needing service eventually. The denon will probably end up with my dad, my current repairman. He's actually working on his carver preamp right now. seems like the capacitors all start to go on all these 20+ year old pieces. Is your main system tube or solid state?