In search of Audible Nirvana, on a budget.

Dual 1019 with Ortofon MC1. 
Samsung tablet rca in.

How about a Precision Fidelity C2 tube preamp! Designed by the esteemed Bruce Moore of Paragon & Audible Illusions fame.I owned the C7 phono stage only version. And it was indeed a KILLER unit! I wish I still had it!

Schiit Freya…a lot of fun for ridiculously little money, sounds great, balanced ins and outs, and it's a great excuse for a tube rolling obsession.

I'm sure you meant GFA 555 and for under $1K new I would recommend either Aric Audio or Mapletree Audio. Both offer all tube design preamps that sound marvelous with older SS amps like the GFA 555 and alike.
I have paired the 555 with Aric's Unlimited preamp and it sounded great. Took the edge off the Adcom especially at higher volumes. I don't think for under $1K you can anything new or used that could beat either of these preamps. My personal opinion of course.