Hi @audiomaster - disclaimer, I don’t have sufficient experience with enough preamps to make a recommendation, just sharing a bit of my own experience.
My own hunt for a reasonably priced pre (solid state only, thank you very much) led me to a Pass XP10. Pass pres are a bit overlooked, but my colleague Marty DeWulf has been satisfied with the XP10 as his own reference for a number of years. (He has used some of the best tube pres out there too - AR, Audible Illusions, Herron, SAS, Joule Electra, etc.) For comparison, I have 3 other options: Bryston BP17 Cubed ($4k), Valvet Soulshine (tubed, $8k) and no preamp at all (PS Audio DirectStream volume control). I really like the Pass for how it combines neutrality with tonal purity, dynamic nuance and dimensionality. It is not the most “exciting” piece, so if you are looking to give your system a shot of energy, I would look elsewhere. It really needs to be used balanced, and lacks a dgree of bass power/slam and transient edge, which I think moving to the newer XP12 or higher-end XP22 might give you more of. It definitely has soul though.
Incidentally, the person I bought the XP10 from had used it with amps from Pass, Coda, Levinson and others, and had always found it up to the task. He also compared it to the Levinson 326s, and said it was no contest - the Pass was clearly superior to his ears. It was only because he was able to get a good deal on the $20k Levinson 526 w/DAC that he finally sold the XP10. My gut feeling is you would really need to step up to the higher-end Levinsons to do better than the Pass, as the ones in the XP10’s price range use IC opamps. The 526 is discrete circuitry and a totally different ballgame from the 326s.
PS I really hate to diverge from an OP’s original question, but my .02 - I do agree with other comments that considering other speakers may be a more straightforward path to getting more “soul” from your system. I have heard many B&W speakers over the years, and I like their lowest-end 6 series bookshelves. Most everything else I have found to be sterile - rather bright and forward, too much edge vs. body, not much soundstage depth, and emphasizing macro dynamics over the subtle dynamic flow of a performance. They seem designed for a certain type of sound favored by recording professionals and hi-fi showrooms, as opposed to one tuned for most natural reproduction. If you like a fast, direct sound (I certainly do!), there are some other good options out there these days, e.g. I think Audiovector’s work eclipses anything produced by B&W.
