"The leap between the Mod Squad and the Audible Illusions in sound
quality was monumental. It changed the experience entirely. I love what
I'm hearing."
I thought you were using the AI.
"I thought that the preamp had such a huge influence that it would be the piece to continue to build upon."
In my opinion, the preamp is the most important piece to get right, assuming you made no major mistakes with your other components. Every component contributes to imaging and spacial presentation, so when I was looking your system over, I picked the components that were most likely the weakest in this area.
" So, if I was to swap out the preamp I have or the amp that I have, I
would think a 1500 preamp vs. a 1500 (I could go up to 2k on that
because the Bryston I wouldn't keep) amp would get me the bigger reward
in improved sound."
You're over simplifing the issue. The biggest 2 mistakes you can make are using cost as a measure of quality and going with tubes because you assume they're better. System matching is far more important than price or design. In my own system I use $2500 speakers and have a pair of $10,000 sitting in my closet collecting dust. Tubes guarantee nothing. My advice would to be listen to a component and judge it based on sound quality. If it happens to be tube, fine. But if a SS components sounds better, then that's the one you should buy.
