Best Full-Function Preamplifier

@patrickdowns: Watch USAM for a set of used Townshend Audio Seismic Podiums or Bars, they come up for sale pretty regularly.

For a cheaper alternative, if your speakers have narrow enclosures with a base that extends out in all directions (front-to-back and side-to-side)---or bases that are "outriggers", you can use sets of Seismic Pods instead. The Pods may simply be placed at each corner of the base, or even bolted onto the speaker base or outrigger, in the holes provided for the stock spikes. The Pods are far cheaper than the Podiums and Bars, and equally effective, assuming the speaker base or outrigger is big enough. 

@patrickdowns A high end cable maker I recommended them to bought a pair of Seismic platforms for his expensive speakers. This gentleman has exquisite ears. He has to as a cable maker.

He was floored by the difference the podiums made. He wrote me that the podiums were like an equipment upgrade that took his system to an audiophile level...I’m not being hyperbolic. He was incredulous.

If you can, I would save up and buy a pair. But using Pods would likely work. Perhaps not as stable. Maybe not as much 3D pivoting. Not sure...I bought a Seismic platter for my turntable, Seismic Isolation Corners for my heavy rack and pods for my sub, amps and every piece of equipment. F-1 Fractal speaker cables and interconnects & digital cables as well. I’m Townshended out! I had an offer to talk to Max in the early part of December 2021 and I unfortunately declined and he passed away at the end of December. A genius he was.

@vinylshadow ​​​, THANK YOU again. That is good information. Part of my hesitation on the seismic podiums is I’ve been thinking about switching to the next model up in the Vandersteen line, and they have a different shape and footprint dimensions, so if I got podiums that fit one they may not fit the other. (Oh, and need more money!)

https://www.townshendaudio.com/hi-fi-home-cinema-equipment-vibration-isolation/hi-fi-home-cinema-vibration-isolation-speaker-podiums/

If separates are OK, I’d recommend Coincident Technology. You could get both a killer linestage and phono preamp within your budget.

I have his Dynamo 34SE MKIII amp. Incredible quality for the price. I did look at his preamp but I am still very happy with my Don Sachs linestage.

Check out the reviews, or better yet, try for an in-home audition. Israel Blume is a very honest and accommodating kind of guy. 

His website is Here.

May I suggest the new Accuphase C-2300 preamp? It is fully balanced input to output, has a tape monitor/processor loop, four band tone controls and a loudness control that switches in/out, has different levels of gain, and can be had with an AD-60 mc/mm phono board for a list price of approximately US $16.5K?

You can read about the C-2300 here.

The US importer, Axiss Audio, has had a recent infusion of talent and capital. Axiss have lowered US prices, making them much more competitive with the rest of the world.