Balanced Tube Preamp Recommendations for $2000

If you could score a used Audio Research LS25 you'd be golden. All the inputs can be used as balanced or single ended, you set them at the front. The outputs are also single ended or balanced. The preamp is balanced from input to output, each phase has it's own gain path. It has a 0 gain processor bypass but the preamp has to be on to use it. An LS26 or 27 is newer but it might cost more than you budgeted.

As far as output impedance is concerned in practical use any load over 15k is fine, 10k is probably OK. I've used mine to drive an X350 and an Adcom GFA5802.

Sonic Frontiers Line.

Thank you everyone for your advice. I appreciate it very much.

I took the plunge on an aesthetix calypso, paid $2160 all in.
I was also concerned about the impedance mismatch between the preamp and xa30.5 per the stereophile measurements.

However, listening to the combination now, I feel I am getting stronger bass with the calypso connected, compared to driving the xa30.5 direct with the m2tech young dac's internal preamp.

It could be that the speakers I am using, Focal Diablo Utopia, does not go down to 20hz where the output impedance from the Calypso hits 3900.

It could be also that there have been circuit board revisions since 2005, when stereophile posted the review, that have fixed the wide ranging output impedance problem.

Overall, it did introduce the tubey sound I am looking for, but not enough. Will be ordering some NOS 5751 RCA tubes to see if I can get an even warmer sound.

Once again, thank you everyone for your advice.

As a past owner of the Aesthetix Callisto signature, I am well aware of the tubey sound you are likely after.  And with a local friend who had an updated version of the Calypso, with Mullard 10M tubes, the Calypso was not even close to the Callisto in terms of the magical 3D brought on by tubes.  My Callisto was running regular Mullard and Tele 12ax7 and 6922. We did the comparison in my system and later in his. In fact, the Callisto exceeded the Calypso in every way. 

So much of this has to do with a tube power supply.  You can try tube rolling, and I'm a huge fan of this, but this will sadly only take you up a slight marginal improvement and little of that will relate to the bloom you're likely after.

The only products that I am aware of that fully meet all of your requirements start at the $3500 or so level and even then more likely at $4500.