Supratek or Don Sachs - which way to go?

If you carefully read the pages on the Don Sachs website, his custom phono preamp, line stage preamp and 60 wpc power amp are all based on the circuit boards he gets from VTA  -  http://tubes4hifi.com/

You can buy all of these things as kits from VTA, or have them assembled by VTA as well, for quite a bit less.  What Don gets you is a much better look and possibly some minor tweaks. 

Proud owner of a 16 year old Supratek Chardonnay here. This has been the one piece of equipment that I haven’t changed as I upgraded every other piece of equipment in my system (most more than twice). It blows away every preamp I have owned, auditioned or heard. I have not experienced the Don Sachs amps so this is in no way an indictment of them. 
I have had questions through the years about different tubes and Mick has always responded to my emails and questions promptly (even as annoying as I may have been).
There is something to be said for being able to communicate with the guy that built your your equipment. 
Jared

Can say the same here, have been in correspondence with Mick this last week about his pre amps in regards to maybe buying one, he has always answer promptly, I can also say the same about Don, both seam like knowledgeable guys, friendly and helpful.

I have both a Don Sachs phono stage and one of his preamps.   The preamp is probably an early model, one of the first with remote.

Both are superb.   

Because of the pricing of Don's equipment there is a tendency to add "for the money" to review comments.
While it is true that Don's gear costs less than some comparable equipment that should not be the driver of the buying decision.
For instance, I also have a Pass XP 20 preamp which cost, new, so much that I would rather not say in case my wife's people are monitoring my Agon activity.
I keep both preamps because I like to change the sound of my system now and then....my wife still works so I can do this during the day and she does not notice.
Is one better than the other?
All I can say is that they are different.    And that I am glad I am lucky enough not to have to make a choice.
I will say that Don's preamp is by a large margin the best tube preamp I have had in my system, and I have had a few.
Don is a class act, always found him to be helpful and straightforward and goes out of his way to help a customer.   I have asked many stupid questions, sometimes about equipment other than his own and he always takes the time to answer.

I have not listened to either.