personal experiences with quaility preamps...

At $3k, I wouldn't bother with separates and would plump for something like the Plinius 8200. Get a great deal and buy it from NZ at way below the US price.

I agree with Redkiwi, but if you want separates you might consider Sonic Frontiers Pre-1 or Pre-1L, the former with phono, the latter without. I had a Pre-1 and a CAT SL-1 III at the same time, and the Pre-1 stood comparison quite well. Depending on power needs, you can get a Pass Aleph 3 for roughly $1000, and unless you prefer tubes (as I do), it would probably make you happy. Total cost should be under $1600 for a Pre-1 or Pre-1L and an Aleph 3.

The Blue Circle BC21 tube pre, BC22 solid state amp is a great matching combination. List is $3650 ($1500/$2150) but used mint/demo is about $2200 ($950/$1250).