Looking to completely overhaul my preamp section, knowledgeable people needed!

Given that you are intending the purchase of a Odyssey Stratos amplifier, I would focus my search toward those preamps that would serve that amp well sonically (to your taste) and match well electronically. What is the input impedance of the Stratos? 

Though as stated above, I am a fan of using a tube pre with a SS amp, matching the pre to the amp regarding impedance is important. 

Your preamp/amp combo serves as the heart of your system and once the right combo is found it can be held onto for several years. Digital audio continues to change, I would prefer not to limit myself to the types of 'files' I might wish to play ( for me today that is redbook PCM, tomorrow who knows). Therefore I recommend purchasing a separate DAC.  

+1 on a separate DAC. I never understood the draw of a DAC integrated into a pre since, like @mesch said, the tech and standards change so frequently. 

for under 2k, it would be tough to find a discrete preamp/dac combo.  I would prefer to get "good enough" and then put more money into speakers, if anything...but I don't have much credibility there.  I started with a nicely priced tube preamp and got stuck in a upgrade loop, ending up with my "dream" preamp, but spending way, way more than I wanted to.

To anyone still following this thread, or someone with the same intentions as me, I wound up going with the (less expensive) Schiit Freya+Gungnir, and saved some money to put into an eventual amp upgrade. I'm happy with this decision as it allows me to upgrade my amp on a more reasonable time frame, for the price of a better preamp. Both the Gungnir and the Freya are massive upgrades from what I previously had, particularly in the stereo separation department as well as in overall detail and 'color'. It really is incredible the difference and I'm looking forward to seeing how much better a new amp will sound.

One thing I would absolutely recommend is to swap out the stock tubes ASAP. I used some of the money I had saved to purchase a matched quad of Tung Sol red base tubes and this yielded a very large sound quality increase. If you do go this route, make sure to listen to the stock tubes for a few hours, get a feel for them, then switch to the Tung Sols for a surprise ;)

At risk of sounding cliche, the Tung Sols really gave a nice 'holographic' effect and made the soundstage appear deeper. It is also a very quiet tube stage, with the hiss barely audible from an 8 foot listening position.

I also seriously considered an AudioGD piece for a very long time before making the decision and they look to be an excellent company with strong design principles, and I hope to hear one some day. Thanks for all the help everyone!