Preamp Deal of the Century

@deutscherhififan the 45 XL is a product of my imagination, apologies for the confusion, I meant the 45B

http://www.emissionlabs.com/datasheets/EML45B.html

My Grange arrived today, but sadly not all is well. For starters, despite many emails over the course of the 7 month wait, Mick sent a wood version instead of the black unit I ordered. I have no idea how that could have gotten lost as I even put '1 Black Supratek Grange' into each PayPal payment description I sent. I am wondering if he is trying to build too many these days and loses track of his customer's orders. The unit also has a loose or defective power tube socket as one of the 300Bs is very, very wobbly once inserted. Very odd for a brand new preamp. For me, that's now two for two as my original Chardonnay arrived with one channel not producing sound. I ended up having to open the preamp and re-solder a cable to a XLR socket tab. I hope others have more luck. I have been so distressed that critical listening has not yet happened. 

Yes, I've found Mick can forget what's asked of him. He has a tech in the U.S., who I had a private exchange with which some months back but can't find now.

@deutscherhififan 

Please post how and if this gets resolved.  I have one on order and the truth is I'm not in the habit of paying to create problems for myself.  Having to repack and ship a new preamp for repair or refund falls right into that category as well.