Best preamp under 5k for Krell amp

To follow up on this thread,

does anyone have suggestions for a 2-channel preamp (tube or SS) for running with a Krell KSA-150 amp and Thiel 3.6 speakers? I want to keep the price well below $5K.

Perhaps this needs a new thread but:

I auditioned a KRC-3 with my system: Thiel 3.6s and KSA-150 amp. I liked the sound of it, soundstage, imaging etc. My brother thought it sounded too bright. When I talked to the dealer about this, he said it was most likely my source that was the problem. The KRC-3 is a neutral sounding preamp and will only transmit what it's receiving, he said. If there's brightness or errors in the source, the KRC-3 won't fix that. Anyone have experience with the KRC-3 and have opinions about it. Still on a quest for the right preamp for my system at the right price. Right now the Adcom GFP-750 is looking like the best bang for the buck.