First a disclaimer: I make no claim for being a highly informed "stereophile".
I've owned McCormack audio gear for over 20 years. Steve McCormack is a very highly regarded audio designer. He now runs his operation as "SMc Audio" in CA. While still designing new gear, he also does lots of upgrading of his older, discontinued models. My suggestion would be to pick up one of his TLC-1 passive, line-drive preamps, which can be found for under $1K and have his guy, Pat, upgrade it. They rebuild to your exact requirements; sonic and budgetary. Great to work with. They just upgraded/rebuilt my DNA 0.5 amp; incredible results!
I've owned McCormack audio gear for over 20 years. Steve McCormack is a very highly regarded audio designer. He now runs his operation as "SMc Audio" in CA. While still designing new gear, he also does lots of upgrading of his older, discontinued models. My suggestion would be to pick up one of his TLC-1 passive, line-drive preamps, which can be found for under $1K and have his guy, Pat, upgrade it. They rebuild to your exact requirements; sonic and budgetary. Great to work with. They just upgraded/rebuilt my DNA 0.5 amp; incredible results!