Convergent Audio SL1 Ultimate vs


I am looking to buy a convergent Audio sl1 ultimate preamp with phono; however. As I wait for one to become available I was wondering if there were other preamps with phono that would be competitive with the ultimate’s sound at the similar used price range. I am interested in your thoughts 
dvdgreco
I had a CAT ultimate when it was still current, very many years ago. It was an outstanding pre, I am not sure there are many (any?) better choices out there for 2.5-3.2 k, I certainly cannot think of any!
I have seen them list over a range of 2,500 to 3,200
That seems cheap for that preamp. But there are other preamps which compare favorably. Is your power amp single-ended or balanced?