Decent preamp

I would recommend you stick with separates but your budget could be a problem. Used Modwright, Belles, DeHavilland or Van Alstine are all quality but may be too expensive. If you are not averse to Hong Kong designed and built I had an Audio Experience Symphonies tube pre which performed well before I upgraded to a Van Alstine. With tubes rolled to NOS RCAs there was not a great difference between the two preamps and the Audio Experience could probably be found for $600 or less. 

Second recommendation would be the DeHavilland preamp but again send it to me to upgrade.  Happy Listening.

I will 4th the suggestion that integrated amps can deliver a lot more value. But you dont want one. OK.

The secret is to read, a lot. You may think that recommendations here are easier or a short path to success. Not so.  At best you will get someone else's idea of ideal. At worst (normal)? you will get flawed suggestions based on limited scope of experience and one system - where a dull preamp may compensate, purely for example, for a bright speaker or amp.  But you still get a dull preamp.

Find some 10-15 year old stuff that got great reviews, is to your taste, and never took off. It will sell for 20 cents on the dollar, and some of it is far better than the names that "made it" due to luck or good marketing. Its hard to make a comprehensive list, and you have to kinda "go with the flow" of what is available. The Schiit stuff offers good value, yes, but the vast majority will be new. I vastly prefer their cheap stuff in general - that’s where they shine IMO.

Sorry but i am not up on all the best value preamps of the last 15 years. Thank goodness :-)

Per itsjustme's comment above:

Totally under the radar and far below your budget is the B&K Reference 30. Even though it’s a 5 channel, reviewers at the time felt that it’s 2 channel performance surpassed that of the B&K 2 channel preamp that was available at that time. Quite a thing for about $300 or less. Sold new for just under $3000. You would not be disappointed.

B&K reference 30 is what I have now but good suggestion. Not a bad preamp. Even has toslink inputs. Looking for something more musical I guess? B&K menus are a mess too. I'm an it guy and I can barely figure that mess out.