A used Conrad Johnson pre at the OP's budget would be a pretty safe bet. First off you'll get a great taste of the virtue of tubes and if it doesn't appeal for whatever reason, doubtful at least from my perspective, an easy resell without any financial pain. These units really focus on the essence of music and I totally agree with suko, people take notice of the music, not "Man, your system sounds great"!
Maybe tube preamp
My current setup is Tidal; ifi nano DSD; Parasound HCA 2200 (recent purchase) ; Magnepan 1.7i
This arrangement sounds pretty good at low volume with most material. However I think it would benefit from a preamp. The ifi's output maxes out at 1.3 volts. I was thinking the warmth of a tube preamp would be a good match for this setup. Years ago I had a New York Audio Labs setup. I liked it but it save for the noise floor. My HCA 2200 is blissfully silent.
My budget is about $1,000
Advice?
This arrangement sounds pretty good at low volume with most material. However I think it would benefit from a preamp. The ifi's output maxes out at 1.3 volts. I was thinking the warmth of a tube preamp would be a good match for this setup. Years ago I had a New York Audio Labs setup. I liked it but it save for the noise floor. My HCA 2200 is blissfully silent.
My budget is about $1,000
Advice?