New Preamp or go Integrated

a) Your parasound is not even a great piece. Why spend 5k on a preamp for it...

b) As is with most forum guys,  you are not exactly some grand chef in the kitchen who can mix/match different preamps/power amps ...especially after age 70+ and you have no idea how to characterize the sound of things.

Here's a power amp and a preamp, high value separates, imo. for around 4k new (1k under your budget)...better idea than buying some guy's used beat up junk,, or mixing/matching things with crappy execution.

https://youtu.be/NMcIE3K2bD8?si=VERyQ_0m2bYcy8L8

(IF you have 10k, you can get to another level of finesse with a certain brand, but, you don’t have adequate speakers for that caliber of stuff)

Current equipment is the Parasound A23+,Lumin D3, Elac PPA phono pre, VPI Prime and the Contour 20i.

Listed are the top contenders, new and used, in the $5k or less range.

 

- Pass Labs XP-12 (used)

 

- Hegel P20

 

- Anthem STR

 

- PS Audio Stellar Gold

 

As reflected, I’m not focusing on tube preamps.

I have the Hegel 390. It is incredible and you will never need more power than it provides. Its internal DAC is quite good although I did just upgrade to the Denafrips Pontus 15th. That said I use the 390 DAC for the CD transport which I think sounds better than the Pontus ( which I use for streaming only).  A local audiophile friend who I think has literally owned every piece of high end gear ever made over the years and has listened to systems costing over $100k came over to listen.  I mentioned a bunch of future ideas I might pursue some day. He told me very directly to “pump the brakes”. That I’ve built a really wonderful system (around the 390) and I should simply enjoy it for a while. Really good advice and a compliment to the 390. The only negative I have regarding the 390 is that it only has 1 set of XLR inputs and both my turntable chain and streaming chain sound best on XLR. Which is why I might consider going to the 590 or 600 which have 2 XLR ins.  
 

Just a thought ..$2500.00 should get you a Hovland HP 100 with a MM or MC phono stage. Beautiful preamp, good sound, great for tube rolling. 

@deep_333  a) Your parasound (A23+) is not even a great piece....

b) As is with most forum guys,  you are not exactly some grand chef in the kitchen who can mix/match different preamps/power amps ...especially after age 70+ and you have no idea how to characterize the sound of things.

a) The A23+ was rated around 9/10 based on professional reviews, not anecdotal impressions from casual users / average joe like you. Under that context, it is difficult to argue that it is not a great piece of equipment.

b) You appear to assume you know the original poster well enough to discount his assessment, even referencing his age (over 70) as a basis to question his ability to characterize sound. That is an ad-hominem argument, not a technical one. Familiarity with a person’s age does not supersede objective evaluation of sound quality.

If the discussion is about audio performance, then it should be grounded in engineering, measurements, and critical listening criteria, not assumptions about the listener. Most importantly, try to control yourself and avoid personal attacks. Doing otherwise will only reflect your own shortcomings.  Do you actually understand sound reproduction well enough to refute the assessment on technical or sonic grounds?

You should strongly consider this Bryston BP26 if it’s still available if you’re looking for clarity, transparency, and an expansive 3D holographic soundstage.  It’s like the proverbial “straight wire with gain” component if that’s what you’re looking for.  I owned the BP6 that’s very similar without the external power supply and balanced inputs so very familiar with the house sound.

https://www.usaudiomart.com/details/650213711-bryston-bp-26-preamp-amp-mps-2-psu/