Best Pre-Amp with Phono Stage

BAT VK-30 or better yet, VK-30SE with BAT phono board. A wonderfully constructed and musical piece - great onebox solution. Natural and dimensional like you wouldn't believe.

Older Conrad Johson PV-9A very nice.

Here are three: CAT (any model), Ayre K1 or K3, Hovland HP-100. The Ayre K1 will be very difficult to find under 3k, however. But it is definitely worth a listen, especially for its phono section.

i agree w/many of the comments on this list, tho i also suggest trying the cary slp98, & the melos music director. electrocompaniet & pentagon also make excellent fono-stages that can be used w/line-stage preamps. (i'm sure there are others, but these are what *i've* heard) also, i bet ya *anything* your wadia wood sound better run thru either of these (or most *anything* already mentioned), than run straight into your amp.

The Atma Sphere is a good pre amp, as is the expensive Vac signature. The Cat in its many iterations is a great unit. However the best Ive heard is the 2box NYAL NCP11 which shows up once in a while on ag. The bottom octave is hard to find, as it is correctly in most analog systems. Try and listen to the Melos too. There have been few real improvements in preamps that are real consumer products in many years.