Preamp with most dynamic contrast?

At the low end of your price range seriously consider the Rogue Magnum 99. At the upper end the McIntosh C2200. I've used both with my 4BST and found them both very dynamic and clear - not at all mellow. The McIntosh is the better of the two; I wouldn't part with mine for anything else on the market.

I found mine in the Joule Electra LA-100MkIII. It actually started out as an LA-200 and Jud Barber upgraded it for me. The LA-100 MkIII is available new for around $4k including remote (I have the dual volume version and not the volume/bass version) and you can find them used for around $2k or less (depending on whether it is an original MkIII or an upgrade to MkIII). The LA-150 is also in your price range as well.

As for the Modwright preamp, I heard a few at RAMF in different set-ups and agree that it is a great preamp for the price. However, there have been many darlings in the audiophile world that end up being overnight sensations that dissappear into morning after obscurity. I'm not saying this is the case with Modwright, as I find Dan Wright to be an intelligent and friendly, two characteristics that aren't always assocaited with a designer, but what I am saying is to trust your ears regardless of the hype you may hear about a particular component.

Conrad Johnson tubed pre's do a great job at dynamic contrast(both micro and macro); it is what they are known for. In your price range I would suggest a used premier 16lsII or 17lsII; the 16 would be my first choice.

Chuck

mine--Supratek Syrah (for your price range, could probably move up to the Grange).

If you can go single-ended, check out the 10A or 11A tube preamps from Steve Sammett at SAS Audio. They are a steal at $2K and $3.5K. I currently own the 10A, wouldn't even have thought about selling it (in the near future) except for the fact that I am looking into a fully balanced preamp to match with my Atma-Sphere amps.