Best balanced linestage/preamp for $4000 or less ???

Don’t know about "best" but pretty darn good. Consider auditioning a Schiit Freya. $700 bucks new with a 5 year warranty. 15 days to make up your mind. Run signal to it 24/7 for 10 days. You’ll have 5 for critical listening. If you keep it, replace the stock tubes (probably advisable; stock tubes can be noisy) with some better NOS 6SN7 options. Has 2 pairs of single-ended out + 1 pair of balanced out (all outputs always ’on’). Two pair balanced inputs + 3 pair single-ended inputs. High quality, resistor-based stepped attenuator for volume control (128 steps). Can run as pure passive, JFET buffered or tube mode (14 db gain). Very responsive to wire changes and very, very quiet even with very affordable new production EH 6SN7s. You can always spend more if you must but definitely worth a listen.

@oem-wheels
Yes...have had one since Jan 2017. Before the Freya, I had an Opera Reference 50 pre (2-6H30 w/an EZ80 rectifier) that I actually preferred to a CJ I auditioned (can’t remember model but line stage with a pair of 6922s). In turn, the sound with the Freya was noticeably more refined and relaxed than from the Reference 50. With the gear I have (system posted) I find music to be nicely detailed, good soundstage, non-fatiguing. I use the Freya with 3 different amps: Taranis, Hegel H-200 (an integrated but I like the flexibility of the Freya so use the Hegel in power amp mode), and First Watt F7. I really like it in JFET buffer mode for the higher power amps; tube mode with the F7 (need the gain). I’m sure better is out there but I feel no need to rejoin the hunt or spend more $.

I don’t know what your listening tastes are like or how it would work with your gear. I do think it’s a high value piece. Would cost you $35 (5% restocking) plus shipping to check it out. You might hate it but at least you will know. Hope you find something that sounds good to you. Good luck in your search.

Freya has issues. I’d stay away. The only thing it has going for it is price. I bought one with a Vidar and it was plagued with microphonics and I, like many, had to place heavy items on the case to stop it from ringing.

gochurchgo - Is it possible the microphonics you encountered were due to noisy tubes? The stock set supplied by Schiit with my unit were noisy and very sensitive. Replaced them and NO microphonics...no noise of any sort with volume full up and nothing playing. Tap on the case...nada. From my own sample set of n = 1, I don’t think the Freya "has issues" other than 6SN7s can be noisy; hence the advice to be prepared to replace them. Noisy 6SN7s does seem well-documented. Buy tubes from Brent Jesse and he’ll test them for noise before shipping.

To the OP, for a larger user base and broader range of experiences, check out the thread here:
https://www.head-fi.org/threads/schiit-freya-impressions-and-tube-rolling-thread.832177/page-100
I’m sure you’ll find a few users that did encounter microphonics and tube noise. You do have a money back (less 5%) return window. Schiit customer service was very responsive and quick supplying a return label for the bad tubes and new tubes when I needed them. New tubes shipped as soon as they got notification the old tubes had been picked up by FedEx.

OK. That’s it for me. Don’t feel like being whacked by E-dith Prickley’s fanboy shtick.