Preamp Noob has a question

A great tube pre for under $1000 new, was an AE-3 by Cary. But you will want to get some better 6SN7s for it. I saw one used, here this week, for $450. they tend to sell fast so keep your eyes open. Plenty left over for upgraded tubes. The sound will delight you I bet.

Good choices here. I must tell you the Bel Canto Pre 3 is exactly what you want. It will do what you want and can be had for $1000. Very transparent and open. The remote is a joy to use and it also sounds smooth and sweet.

Please forgive my ignorance Mechans, but what are 6SN7s? Are those the tubes? I've never owned tube gear before. How often do tubes need replacing, and are they easy to obtain?

The OP asked for recommendations for a pre to power his existing amp section of integrated amp; if I understood the question properly.

Separates were necessary for high end audio, a long time ago; but not now. In reality, there is no such thing as "separates". The pre ckt that exists in the integrated, puts the pre in one box instead of two. The ultimate end is the same whether or not the ckt is in one box or two.

If you mate a top pre with the existing power amp section of the integrated, you will be wasting money because you will still get "crappy" sound.

Your most economical solution is to sell what you have, and get the best "integrated" you can with available funds.

I tend to agree with Orpheus -- if you like integrateds why not just upgrade to a better one? I know you're trying to improve your sound on the cheap, but while you may get some benefit from this you may end up not liking this preamp when you upgrade to a better amp (assuming that's where you'd be headed eventually).

I'd recommend saving your pennies to buy a significanly better integrated amp (say something like a Bryston B60R or similar), and in the meantime try to audition some integrateds and maybe even some preamps/amps in your system to see what you can expect from whatever upgrade you end up making. Best of luck in your search.