It’s time to upgrade my pre-amp

@goodnightpaul I'm Glad you made two things known.

One being, "I built and own a Dynaco ST-70, Dynaco ST-35 and an Elekit TU-8600S". 

Two being, "while maintaining clarity, detail and the experience of being inside the music space". 

I can't recommend enough, the Nelson Pass Korg Nutube B1 Pre-Amp'.

It has been in use within my local HiFi Group for many years now.

For the money to build the working model, there is not much out there that can offer a lucidity and insight into a recording.

If the design is built modular in a nice aesthetic casing, the basic cost will creep upwards. 

Within the local HiFi Group, it has been selected over other Pre-Amps numerous times more expensive to purchase, when entered into comparison demonstrations.

One Group Member took one over a very expensive EAR Pre-Amp.

It does carry a little extra injection of gain as a basic model, but this is easily resolved if wanted to have more control.

Well worth an investigation and there is endless build support available through the forum whare it was conceived as a design. 

@goodnightpaul as an aside, I did not listen to too much Jazz or CD prior to being loaned one of a friends built versions (they have four versions in total).

Jazz was used on Vinyl at a few demonstrations on other systems owned within the Group. I now have approx' 20 Albums purchased over a reasonably short periods, with the last one being a Crowd Funded one I discovered on this forum and only arrived at my address very recently.

As for CD's I went from a small batch of in car CD's to a collection of a few hundred in a similar timeline.

I am having a Four Chassis Monoblock Balanced Korg B1 built for myself, the Parts list is now complete and purchases have started. The Volume controls are Bespoke Built to meet the requirements of this design (not cheap), but I am hoping such accuracy is the attention to design that sets it apart.

This will most likely be out on loan for a while, as I am without a set up system, it is ready to go into storage.

A friend is slowly going Balanced from Bespoke Built Tonearm > Head Amp' > Phon' > Pre - Amp > Power Amp', my Balanced version will fit in nicely in this system for a period of time, along side their own Balanced version, the A/B comparison will be looked forward to. 

I own and have heard the DACT Stepped Volume Control, I have also heard a range of Stepped Volume Controls along with a Khozmo.

When comparing Stepped Volume Controls, it was the introduction to the different take on a design being the Slagle AVC, that was what I preferred over the others.

Today within the Hi Fi Group, I have the Korg Nutube with a Khozmo Volume Control and a Prometheus TVC as a Korg Nutube Volume Control.

The use of these devices as a Volume Control with the Nutube, surpasses their performance as a standalone control by far.

The real attraction of the Korg Nutube B1 Pre-Amp' is that it really sings with a much cheaper VC, the added luxury can be considered as a later add on, as in the cases above.

My design will have the option to have the Slagle AVC attached, but as said, I have Bespoke produced VC's for my build version.