I've been looking around preamps for a while too, and decided on a Lamm LL2. It's a great minimalist design, but RCA only. First Sound was also on my short list and is also RCA only; Mr Go is great to deal with and can provide a very credible explanation of why he believes XLR is not an advantage over RCA for this application and how he has tried both and stuck with RCA.
Other preamps I had on my short list were Atma-Sphere MP3, Audio Valve Eklipse, Aesthetix Calypso, and Joule Electra LA150 MK2 or 3. So, all tube units, all in the $2.5 to $3.5k range (used), and all very good.
I hope this helps.
Other preamps I had on my short list were Atma-Sphere MP3, Audio Valve Eklipse, Aesthetix Calypso, and Joule Electra LA150 MK2 or 3. So, all tube units, all in the $2.5 to $3.5k range (used), and all very good.
I hope this helps.