One thing to consider is going from pre-built stuff to Do It Yourself stuff. You can save a lot of money if you cut out the manufacturer and the distributer. www.bottlehead.com for instance has some modest, but quite nice (and very well priced!) tube preamp and amp kits. There is a whole lot out there. www.diyaudio.com is a great set of forums.
Plus, even if your homebuilt preamp doesn't sound quite as good as a top of the top preamp costing 20 times as much, it can be an excellent cost/performance value, and you'll like it more, because you built it with your own two hands. DIY can produce some amazingly good sound, at very good prices, with the added benefit of pride in your handiwork. Another benefit of DIY is a better understanding of how audio equipment works, which can give you a nice perspective, and let you better understand the differences in equipment. Also, you can easily modify your home built components to your exact wishes. Want to upgrade to a stepped attenuator? Easy! You know all the pinouts, because you made it yourself. :) Want to upgrade the powersupply? Thats fine, you know all the specs! Its fun, and educational, and can let you get a lot of satisfaction out of your system, without spending a ton of money.
Peace,
Sam
