Solid State Preamp to replace tube unit

@decooney I should have stated that the main complaint for my system is that the sound gets congested when playing classical music. It sounds flat. I need a open and transparent with high dynamic range. Thanks for following this.

@jimbones does your Nad M23 amplifier mentioned in your original post hold up to that classical music challenge for you?

I replaced an ARC Ref. 3 preamp with a Pass XP-30, which listed for $16K but I found a used one for $6K. Mine is three-units, one for power and the other two for each channel. However, they sell a two-unit XP-22  for about $10K that I have read is damn close to the XP-30.

First, let me say I loved my ARC Ref 3. It was a serious tube preamp in that it didn't have the over-blown bloom I've heard in other ARC preamps. I owned an LS 22 which sounded rich and wonderful to me at first. The midrange bloom seduced me. After owning it for a while, I realized that bloom obscured weak bass and somewhat shrill treble. The Ref 3 had all the seduction of the LS 22, but everything was balanced and nothing was weak or shrill. The reason I sold it was that I simply could not deal with changng tubes all the time. 

As much as I loved the Ref. 3, I have to say the Pass XP-30 is an improvement. It has clarity and transparency I haven't heard in any other preaImp. I might say that it disappears and lets the music come through unscathed. I hear my turntable and amp, but the preamp has no signature but clarity. I would highly recommend Pass.

Changing tubes all the time? They need to be changes every 3,000 hours. Even if you listen two hours a day... that is every four years. 

@ghdprentice These aren't hard tube failures, mostly noise related. I mentioned earlier that may be since I am buying tubes from suppliers where the tubes are "pulls" and maybe not NOS.