Fantasy or reality? Inexpensive solid state preamps that get you 80% there?

Well if you want a aid state preamp and you are thinking Ayre have you thought about a k3? A k3 is a wonderful preamp and you should  e able to get one for around 2k usd.  If you want to spend more a k1 should be able to be found for around your 4k price. In my opinion  still in the the very top of the range preamplifier ever made. On the tube side there is a canary ca601 listed for 1150 usd  at the moment  about half way up there line at the time personally  I have not heard one but there base one from the day is very good and there top model is wonderful  as good as it gets. That would be a very cheap way into the top end. That is on the for sale part of audiogon. The ca 801 ca802 was the second from the top I have one of those as well as an Ayre  k1xe  the flavor  is different  but they are both at the top level of preamplifiers in my opinion.  

Question ?

Did ever consider a vintage amp?

I guarantee if you find a Pioneer C-Z pre you will be happy . Can be done for way less than 4k. The Z series is a fantastic choice for a solid state pre

If possible to take the price out of the equation for a moment, I suspect you’ll find you can get more than 80% results by simply comparing preamps and selecting the one you like best. And if that comparison is blind, I’d guess the odds of your grail being affordable is quite good. 
 

Many who equate SQ to price will disagree with me but I find that in high end audio, you often do not get what you paid for. You may get polished aluminum faceplates and heavy remote controls, but with your eyes closed, the reality is much different. 
 

choose wisely and remember, you do not need to blow your child’s college education to achieve a stunning music system. 

I wanted a preamp with remote volume control.  I had been using an APT Holman, which is very good for a vintage solid state unit, but no remote control.

I did try the Freya+, twice, in my bedroom system.  Both units were defective from the factory.

Yes, Schiit sent a second set of tubes right away, then replaced the unit.  They also quickly refunded the purchase after the second unit was also bad.

The solid state sections sounded nice,  The remote was nice.  The tube section on both was crap.  Tried all kinds of tubes, so not the tubes.

Tried the Topping Pre90.  It sounds good.  Very neutral.  It's very small.  The remote completely sucks, the volume control is quirky.

Both the Freya+ and the Pre90 were/are dead quiet.

If anything ever happens to the Topping, the Benchmark looks like a contender.

I recently upgraded from Schiit Freya + to Pass Labs XP10. I really liked the Freya. It was a tremendous deal and a big improvement on my Cambridge Audio CXA81. But I got the upgrade bug, and replaced mySchiit with Pass Labs. The improvement is undeniable, but the Freya was more than 80% there in my opinion. I’m about to put the Freya up for sale. You can contact me if interested.