budget balanced pre amp, tube or SS?

Someone is selling a PS Audio GCP 200/GCPS here.

I am using the balanced tube outputs of my Raysonic 168 direct to my amps. It sound great, but if you need more inputs it won't work

Try one of the cheap Parasound or Acurus pre-amps. They are really dirt cheap and sound very clean, clear, and involving. I know the Parasound sounds silly good for the money. I just bought several of the Acurus R11 pre-amps based on their "underground" reputation as being giant killers - my ears will shortly tell me.

The Audiohorizons 2.0 and 2.1 pre-amps are sold on Audiogon and sound excellent. Air-Tight makes several fine sounding pre-amps. Both of these units will be in the near 2K to 3K range.

Jospeh Chow at Audiohorizons modified a very nice sounding Air Tight for me, even took the power suply out and built a separate box for it. He took a very nice pre-amp and turned it into a STUNNING performer.

Zephyr:

Google: "kandkaudio"

Yes, my preamp has dual balanced outputs for mains/stereo subs.

Thank you very much for the info!

I've been using a Marsh P2000b for years and find it to be very transparent and revealing but at the same time refined so it doesn't go too far. Thought that might be a good match for your system and I think it's under $1500 new. Here's a review from TAS although it's on the single-ended model, which is the same except lacks balanced connections:

http://www.avguide.com/products/product-2228/

Soundstage and Stereo Times reviewed the balanced version, FYI.

Best of luck.