I have never heard Emotiva's preamp, but I do have their XDA-1 DAC in my system which also includes an Odyssey Stratos Extreme amp. The sound is heavenly. Emotiva gives a lot of bang for the buck because it is manufactured in China and sold factory direct which cuts out the middleman. You can compare their products to others which sell for 3 times the price because of the factory direct pricing.
I would lean towards the Emotiva preamp myself.
I would lean towards the Emotiva preamp myself.