looking for ideas on a tube pre amp

I recently purchased a new pair of Focal Sopra #3 speakers and would like to try a tube pre amp with them. My main listening speakers have been Magnepan 20.1s with upgraded x overs for several years I purchased the Focals mostly to give my listening room a breath of fresh air even though I doubt I will ever part with my Maggies. I am currently using the Parasound JC2 preamp with the JC1 amps and mostly XLR cables so it would be nice to have a pre with XLR connections, I have been looking at the Audio research pre amps it would be nice to from someone that has tried several pre amps, I am giving myself a budget of about $2500.