Budget preamp recommendation...besides Schiit.

It would help you narrow the choices if you first clarify features:

a. definite;

b. desired, not absolute

It's hard to keep the list short, but, for low cost ......

My suspicion is that used could match a new budget price and be 'better' and include more ......

Used, with remote volume control is a short list, and many sellers forget to mention the remote, so if interested, do a quick check elsewhere for manual/feature info.

Oh yeah, budget: stretch it,

consider extra cost divided by many years, not much really, just gotta get the dough now: so sell something, give up doing stuff, go out to eat less, buy less content for a while, tell the wife NO MORE SHOES (just for a year)

Aric Audio makes a budget tube preamp. ~$1700 I believe.

Consider Icon Audio out of UK. Their No. Am. Distributor in Canada in excellent. 

Aric is a great choice as is AVA.