Preamp under $2,000 used

 PS Audio 5.5 
It`s over 30 years old, but will hold It`s own against anything under $2,000 used, And would sound even better with a rebuild.
The phono stage is first class.
Look at all the reviews on it.
They are very rare to find.  PS Audio doesn`t fix them anymore because they don`t have the parts.   I have one that is mint, and will never sell it.

I always think that the individuals ears and what they hear as the owner of the stereo system is the most important. You have to consider your room size and your favorite gender and the type of music you mostly listen to and if it sounds good to you sit tight because you’ll never cover all the bases.

If you are lucky enough to find one Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5, which is essential to max performance