Preamp for manley snappers

I am in search for a preamp without phono stage for my manley snappers. I have tried audible illusions,art audio,first sound and tron seven and VTL 6.5. They were all lent to me for audition by friends. Of all the units i auditioned it is only the 6.5 that had me smiling but the price is just so expensive i have to look somewhere else. My budget is around 4k dollars. Friends suggested the modwright 9.0 or the 36.5 but i dont have access to any demos of these units. Any suggestions are welcome.