The Octave HP 700 SE preamp is as good as it gets. I was going to get one, but the waiting time was too long at the time, and bought the Accuphase solid state instead.
Any High End Tube Preamps with *gasp tone controls?
After dropping in a vintage Scott 222C into my system while my amp was out for repair I'm really missing the tone controls now that my amplifier is back. It seems sacrilegious but I just can't get the bass where I want it without a bit of boost plus I'm sure my hearing is changing as I get older so why not be flexible... even if it results in me being thrown out of the audiophile club.