Best Preamp for me

I really like the McIntosh C2300 or C2500 depending on your needs..If your willing to drop some bells and whistles, a Modwright SWL 9.0 used or a new LS100. Also, I really like the Manley Jumbo Shrimp or the Manley labs 300B! What amazing sound! partnered with a great solid state amp like you have would be a great match, keep an eye on impedance matching ..it does matter. the output of the pre should be 10 times or even greater apart than the amps input impedance. Example... 200ohm output from a pre into a 20,000ohm or HIGHER amp input is best to look for.

Save your money. Rogue Audio

We have similar eclectic musical tastes. I also have a Levinson (331), Transparent cables throughout and use Wilson Sophia 3 speakers. I went with the McIntosh C2500 and am very pleased. Not only do the tubes add musicality, but the preamp has a great DAC and is a swiss army knife of connectivity to future proof your system. It's also just inside your price range. You could also look at AR preamps. They're also excellent. Mark

Lots of great input Thank You all
Pete

Hi Pete, Seeing you don't need a phono section, The K-03 has a fantasic low output impedance (47ohm rca & 100ohm xlr) at 2.45v, that will drive anything perfectly without any added colourations that a preamp will introduce, you should give it a try first before spending up big on a preamp to see if you like the uncoloured sound it will give.

" Esoteric’s K-03 SACD/CD player and DAC ($13,000 USD), is one of their newest models of this type. In fact, it also contains a 32-bit internal volume attenuator that permits it to be connected directly to an amplifier."

Cheers George