Though I've never heard it myself, I have read and heard great things about George Wright's tube phono stage. I believe it is the WPP100C. I am intending to get back into vinyl again this year and that will be one of the options I'll be considering at that time. No one has mentioned it yet, so I thought I'd add it to your suggestions.
http://www.wright-sound.com
What amp are you feeding this into? This may have some bearing on the best phono pre. There are many good suggestions here already. My inclinations would point me towards the ARC and the Pass Labs as well as the Wright Sound I mentioned. The Wright Sound is $825, while the other two are quite a bit more. I think it has been implied already that you may not get a sense of just how great vinyl can sound if you don't push the envelope a bit, and go for the mid-range phone stages. I tried a rather inexpensive, but well-reviewed Creek OBH-8SE, a short while back, and was not really impressed at all. I sold it and went back to listening only to CD's. I'm sure I'm missing something by not giving vinyl the chance it deserves, and now wish I'd sprung for a better pre. The Creek is certainly an entry-level solution. Hope that helps. Good luck!
http://www.wright-sound.com
What amp are you feeding this into? This may have some bearing on the best phono pre. There are many good suggestions here already. My inclinations would point me towards the ARC and the Pass Labs as well as the Wright Sound I mentioned. The Wright Sound is $825, while the other two are quite a bit more. I think it has been implied already that you may not get a sense of just how great vinyl can sound if you don't push the envelope a bit, and go for the mid-range phone stages. I tried a rather inexpensive, but well-reviewed Creek OBH-8SE, a short while back, and was not really impressed at all. I sold it and went back to listening only to CD's. I'm sure I'm missing something by not giving vinyl the chance it deserves, and now wish I'd sprung for a better pre. The Creek is certainly an entry-level solution. Hope that helps. Good luck!