Best tube preamp ever

I own personally and I am a huge fan of the Aesthetix Io phono stage and the Callisto line stage.  

First Sound .

The Schiit Freya I own is an amazingly great sounding preamp, has features no other preamp has (switching between passive, FET, and tubes even remotely, and a sophisticated and accurate attenuator), includes plenty of balanced and single ended inputs and outputs, and is embarrassingly (to other gear manufacturers) inexpensive for a USA made product. The best? Of course! Does it belong in the "speaker" category? Of course not.

If you are looking for best pre amp with no cost barrier.

I recommend this

http://www.silbatoneacoustics.com/refpre.html

It use exquisite NOS tube hard to get.

The sound is transparent and mesmerizing with Jazz Vocal.

If you visit Munich Audio show, then you can listen to it.

There is no one “best.” That is dependent upon associated components and personal preference.

Lamm, VTL, ARC, Atma-Sphere, CAT, Einstein and Aesthetix all make tube preamps that compete at the top level.