Fantasy or reality? Inexpensive solid state preamps that get you 80% there?

With few exceptions you get what you pay for in reasonably priced high end audio. The caveat being if the rest of your system can take advantage of it.

My most recent preamps include-

1) Vintage early 80’s Pioneer solid state. Used as a backup. Sound is lackluster and dull. Small sound stage, poor dynamics.

2) Rogue Audio RH-5 Linestage / Headphone amp. Tube buffer stage. Sound was spectacularly dynamic and powerful. Sound stage very large in all directions. Tonality was neutral and refinement was good.

3) Rogue Audio RP-7 preamp. Sound was rich and beautiful. Dynamics not as good as the RH-5. Sound stage was large. Sound was a touch too burnished but highly refined and colorful.

4) Cary Audio SLP-98. Sound was slightly rich and neutral. Transparency and tone accuracy / musical recognition was through the roof- goosebumps. Dynamics were very good, refinement good. Soundstage very large.

5) Cary Audio SLP-05. Sound is warm, rich but highly detailed. Amazing high end sound quality- refined and colorful- passes the ears test with flying color. Dynamics very good. Sound stage is enormous in all directions, the sound projects out to the listener.  My final preamp.  

Why not just go passive, like the TOTL Luminous Audio unit, near your budget. Do you really need additional gain ? All of the preamps mentioned have a color, which you have with your tube units. If you want clarity, ime, go passive....and even the entry level Luminous is far superior to the SYS, from my actual experience. Douk Audio makes a passive superior to the SYS. I have RGR, AGI, Hegeman, Soundcraftsmen, Hitachi, Hafler, Apt, Superphon preamps, and others, and they all are colored, sacrifice detail and neutrality vs the Luminous. Many have been modified, and still fall short, ime. What do you want ?, is the biggest question. Keep in mind, passive is not for everyone, but if the gain and impedance match, it could be the way....Just my thoughts after 50 years of this BS....lol. My best to all, MrD.

Now days even listening Spotify from macbook pro can give a decent music listening for many people. But we audiophiles want something more, we want to experience that realism and stereo effect that surrounds our head- da magic!  Unfortunately, to create that magic involves lot of effort and money, potentially. You can be totally satisfied with schiit and other inexpensive solutions. However, more you read reviews, forums, and listen to other systems, your preferences will change and upgrade desire will start eating you from inside.

@panerai557  I have an enviable system. It does much of what I want. This thread is about getting a SS preamp that can serve in a subsidiary way, some of the time.

@mrdecibel  Why not go passive? Because I tried it with an exceptional passive autoformer and the results lacked gain and robustness. They were too lifeless in my system.

@avanti1960 
Thanks for your feedback. You list a bunch of tube amps. I'm not interested in tube amps and this is not a thread about tube amps.