Preamp Deal of the Century

Hi Ecclectique ( David?), Thank you for replying to my post concerning Cabernet vs ARC. I had previously e-mailed Mondie on another forum about his experience with his Supratek. His enthusiasm hasn't changed a bit ( thanks for replying again , Mondie).The staid conservative in me says the safe option is ARC ; the other half says I could be missing out on something quite special. I am looking for a touch more warmth in my listening- I don't doubt the Ref2 is a great pre but maybe emphasises detail more than I want?I'm in New Zealand; as far as I know there is only one Supratek here (may be wrong); fortunately the owner is happy for me to go and have a listen which I will do very soon.
Can any long term Supratek owners attest as to the reliability of their pres? I've had problems with gear before requiring dealer and manufacture support. I know that ARC is very good in this respect-does Mick's gear give any problems?
Thanks again Eccletique and Mondie for your time in replying.
Cheers,
Kevin

Thank you to Ecclectique, Cello ,Slowhand , Cello , Mondie and Pablovila ( nice story-never heard of that happening before) for the replies and reassurance.Now the hard part will be deciding which one. I take Slowhand's point about the Cortese and vinyl-like a fool I got rid of my table some years ago but not the records ( CD- perfect sound forever -hah!).So hopefully will re-enter the vinyl world. The Grange no longer appears on Mick's website-I will contact him but does anyone know if he still makes them?
Also , a constant theme in the thread is the value of tube rolling after breakin. In New Zealand, not a huge availability.I havefound upscaleaudio.com ; any other sources.Thanks again for the replies.
Regards,
Kevin

Hi all,I posted this question separately on this forum but was advised to post it on this thread.I am looking to upgrade my ARC LS 15 preamp and have narrowed the field to either an ARC ref2 ( I know there is a ref 3 on the way) or a Supratek Cabernet ( I stated Chardonnay on the separate posting).Did anyone compare the two? ( I realise that any replies will probably be from very happy Supratek owners). Partnering gear-ARC CD3 CDP ,Plinius SA 100 ( soon to be SA Ref) , Shahinians ,Wireworld gold eclipse balanced interconnect , Kimber speaker cable; music taste classical and jazz .
From every thing I've read on this thread the Supratek is something special but any thoughts on the comparison would be gratefully received.Thanks in advance.
Kevin