Cheap but decent preamp ???

B&K Pro 10 would be great but doubtful for my budget.

Emotiva makes a pre for not too much $$.

This will be a new one, and it has bass management which is increasingly important in a 2.1 world.

Will is pass muster in an audiophile system?
They DO have a mailorder return policy, which helps with the 'risk'.

You did not specify remote control needed so I recommend a Nakamichi C5A. Very simple preamp with excellent phono and superrb build quality. OPen one up and you'll be amazed at the parts/build quality.

The older Bryston pre-amps sell for pretty cheap. Bryston's warranty and service after warranty is impeccible. They charge very reasonable prices for repairs if anything goes wrong.

They can also retrofit phono cards on pretty much anything if it doesn't come with one.

They're not exactly tube like, but probably the safest and most reliable bet for very little cash.