Adcom pre amp versus Van Alstine

I had an Adcom preamp in the mid 1990's and it was truly unremarkable. 

I have had an Adcom Preamp and Amplifier in my workshop for 30 years. They have been subjected to heavy dust and fumes of every variety. My house was hit by lightening and a Krell Preamp fried, but not the Adcom. They are also decent sounding and void of any ill habits. They have also been run way more than my main system, frequently 12 hours daily. I had a Van Alstine preamp in the late 70s and it was OK. I sold it for a Conrad Johnson which I thought sounded better. 

+1 @dweller I had an Adcom GTP-400 and it was "meh." AVA would be better.

This modwright is pretty nice, too:

The Emotiva DAC/PRE (Xda 3) is a worthwhile option <$699, true balanced. Very nice YouTube review

Can't remember what the model was, but may years ago I owned the top of the line Adcom Pre and really liked it.  They are so old now I would be very worried that the caps are drying out and the SQ will degrade.