transistor pre with the sound of tubes


Not sure i am mature enough for a tube preamp, so my quest would be for a transistor pre with a hint of tube sound.
What would be your suggestions? 
Btw, needs to be balanced as my active speakers only accept balanced.


rird
There's nothing to fear -- really -- with a tube preamp. A tube goes bad? You change it.

If you can change a light bulb, this is within your skill set.

Do. It.
Tube pre amp- easy peasy. Most pre amp tubes last a long time. A lot here run a tube pre with a transistor amp. You'll love it. 
I’m not liking the idea of what people say, tubes must get warmed up first. I also am a bit worried of injecting noise. My musical preferences is also of very dynamic music with driving bass lines.
There is NO such thing as "tube" or "transistor" sound! Only a CIRCUIT has a SOUND! The big advantage a solid-state device has over a vacuum tube is that the former is free from aging effects. While the vacuum tube has a finite life-span and degrades with use, alas!
BAT VK-40 had a reputation to be warmer than their tube preamps.But I don't understand your fundamental problem to just buy a tube preamp it that's the sound you prefer. BTW I am using an Ayre K5-xemp.