Preamps better than Parasound JC-2 ?

+Atmaspere .

Try a Tube Pre.  Tubes in Pre-amps last years if not decades, also most pre-amp tubes are relatively inexpensive (compared to power tubes) so tube rolling is not an expense you need to worry about too much in a Pre-Amp.  Tube Pre to SS amp best of both worlds some say. Also as Atmasphere suggested you can get more for the money in a tube Pre-amp normaly. 

@milpai 

I’ve owned a lot of tube gear. When a tube gets “weak” on the way to failing, it gets a bit more white noise rush and lower output. I usually replace the suspect tube(s) when I detect it. It’s pretty discernible during causal listening. No overt system crashes or other collateral damage. 

@glennewdick 
Audible Illusions products include circuits that run tubes ragged. Plan on replacing those tubes in their products much more frequently than tubes of other products.  

So, I researched a few tube preamps and I would like to have one with XLR in/out. One such preamp is the Backert  Labs Rhumba 1.2. But I believe tubes have their own issues - like hum.
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/review-backert-labs-rhumba-1-2-preamplifier.732674/
One reason I like this tube preamp is, it has a top cover to change tubes. I looked at other like BAT, and they don't have covers like this one. One thing I don't know - can you keep the preamp "on" 24X7? Or will that kill the tubes?
Another point to note with tube amps is that their output impedance is always higher than a SS preamp.

@milpai 

Hum is not an issue of tube preamps any more than it is solid state. Hum can be caused by a variety of issues- ground loops amongst them, but I suspect its not that in this particular case.
There's no point in keeping a tube preamp on all the time like solid state. They should get to where they are going in 2-3 hours, unlike solid state which might take a week of on time.

In the case of the Rhumba, its output is actually single ended- its XLR connection is there for convenience only (this can be seen in the interior photos). This is why this unit hummed in the review you linked- the XLR cable the guy was using was picking up noise because it was running single-ended!

We make tube preamps with XLR inputs and outputs, and they are in fact actually fully differential and balanced all the way through- and (like the Rhumba) one stage of gain in the line section and zero feedback, and with a low enough output impedance to drive any amp made. So there are alternatives- BAT would be another.
Even if you were to go single-ended though, I still think you will find that the tube preamps have an advantage.