Please help me chose a tube preamp

If you want ease of use and reliability PS Audio BHK

I owned a Calypso and purchased based on reputation.I was under whelmed with the performance.Replaced with an Audio Horizons TP 20r which was audibly superior in every aspect of musical presentation.
I'm not bashing the Calypso,it simply didn't meet my needs.

 I had and aesthetix  Rhea signature with a premium tube set at the same time as a Zesto, a herron and a cheap ASL phono. In short the aesthetixs finished last in sound quality, even behind the ASL that was worth about $600 new(it did have mods).  The Herron was first, which I bought new after this experience, The Zesto was second and the ASL was third,  with the aesthetics bringing up a distant fourth.  I was very surprised given the price tag which was by far the highest of the group and the rave reviews they have received. 
I know these are phonostages where as you are talking about line stages but after that experience I would never buy anything aesthetixs. 

Ditto everything r_f_ sayles and sgunther said!

I'm pro Aesthetix having previously owned the base Calypso with premium NOS tubes and currently owning the Signature version with premium NOS tubes.   In approximately 7 years of combined ownership I've never had any problems or lost a tube. 

I drove myself nuts trying to find a tube preamp that I was happy with.
Ended up realizing that I had to do the listening in my own system.  So in addition to my Atma-Sphere I borrowed another three similarly priced and well regarded preamps.  One was SS.
My decision.  I bought an absolutely amazing SS pre called the Line One from LKV Research.  Finally got the lack of distortion and noise I required and a near tube like warmth.  In fact the lack of noise on this preamp is like a black hole in space.  And the preamp is extremely adjustable with jumpers.  Look it up.  And while I liked the Atma Sphere I never found a tube combination that worked for me and I went through a least a dozen tubes trying to find quiet ones and the best sound.  In the end I gave up on tubes.