Looking for preamp which is good at BOTH single-ended AND balanced output

That I believe would be a claim difficult to prove….

@antigrunge2 
I did and actually its not. Most audiophiles have recordings, especially those made in the 1950s, that demonstrate that cables must not be as heavily colored as the high end cable industry likes to make them seem. Quite literally the balanced line standard is a technology that minimizes cable colorations, and that in turn is why you can run those cable for such long distances without a coloration, although the benefit is there even if the cable is only 6".


These recordings (RCA Living Stereo, Mercury Living Presence, EMI, Decca UK...) feature microphones placed quite a distance from the recorder, yet somehow (using long balanced line connections) the overall sound is clear and detailed- the better your system gets, the better these recordings sound.

+1 for the Aesthetix Calypso

Thank you for all your inputs.
I asked this question because I noticed some preamp produces better sound using either single ended or balanced, but not both. I am using Schiit Freya+ now. When I use Freya+ balanced connected to my SS balanced MC2 MC1250 amp. Its sound open and transparent, with wide sound stage. But when I connect the single-ended to tube amps. It sounds veiled and has very narrow sound stage.However, when I use the DIY grounded-grid preamp with tube amps. The transparent and wide sound stage comes back. I don't rule out the difference in sound quality is caused by preamp-amp mismatch.
That's why I initiated the topic, and looking for preamp with BOTH good outputs for comparison.

While no absolute guarantee, the higher the quality preamp the better both are likely to be and also the less the difference is likely to be.

Why not take a look at the Benchmark Media LA4?  It's Stereophile class A, offers both balanced and single ended inputs and outputs, and is below your top budget, selling for $2,600 new direct from Benchmark.