Maybe tube preamp

Claude's suggestion is a vet good one. Another would be the Bottlehead beepre. Fantastic unit at any price. 

I would have to concur that Aric Audio would be a good place to start. I have several pieces from his bench due in large part to the sound floor. If it's not dead black silent, it doesn't get out of his shop. That holds true for both amps and preamps. Plus, as has been mentioned, he is refreshingly genuine to work with and is as passionate about tubes as anyone I've met.

Claudebond & Analogluvr: Thanks for the suggestion, but I am not ready for a kit. I did a rough count and I figure there are about 400 solder joints in that kit. It would take me a year. I am not willing to wait that long.

TubePower: Thanks, that is good to hear. While we are talking about jumping the budget up to $1400, What do you think of the Transend 6SN7 Line stage? Is it worth the extra $400? ( It definitely looks cooler. ) Do you have experience with 6SN7 tubes as opposed to the 12AX7 tubes used in the Unlimited? Kalali & David_Ten (and anyone else): Please feel free to chime in.

One other note:  I saw a photo of the 'innards' of the upgraded Unlimited, and it is pretty ugly.  I realize it is at least in part due to the fact that ALL the components are point to point wired (zero circuit boards), but still.  A little organization would be a confidence builder.

MarkAinsworth: I have only seen photos of the 6SN7 Line Stage, but that was enough to foster a "few" conversations with Aric about it. After learning about the inclusion of some impressive components like True Copper caps and the 5u4 Rectifier, which should add to the tone and body of the sound, I liked it even more. My Enigmatic Mono Blocks run 6SN7s, chosen over 12AX7s during design due to the larger and more dynamic sound of the octal over the 9 pin mini. I am also a fan of the 5u4 Rectifier (black plate) and already run them in both my Special SE and in my Unlimited. All these things together, make the $400 less significant. I do not stop being impressed with how the Enigmatics sound, and soon they'll have a 6SN7 Line Stage in front of them.

You have to call upscale and talk to Kevin to get a Jumbo Shrimp. The Shrimp is a older unit. You can find a Jumbo Shrimp for $2500 or less if you look around. Also, the J shrimp does not have a phono section ( thats a chinook) it is strictly a line stage pre amp.

I have owned the Modwright SWL 9.0 Sig edition with tubed pwr supply, this unit I supplied with tubes from Andy at Vintage Tube Services. It is a wonderful sounding unit with awesome beauty of tone and great harmonics, very rich and warm sounding but the bass was a little less defined and punchy then the Jumbo shrimp imo, the volume control on the Jumbo Shrimp is what its all about, its a tubed controlled circuit (and when u turn the knob it feels a little nicer even though it is also ALPS)! the Modwrights Alps volume is UN inspiring. This unit is in my fathers system so I never really got rid of it (still in family).

Matt M