Need under $1500 preamp for my system

Another Schiit Freya owner here, with the "+" version.  I tried to post earlier,  not sure what happened.  The Freya+ is the best preamp I've owned and also the cheapest(except for the Schiit Saga).  I'm sure that if you've got unlimited funds, you can get a better sounding pre, but for most of us, for $899 this is a bona fide home run.

Anyway, the Freya is worthy of any preamp shortlist, unless you hate tubes.  Imaging, staging beyond the speakers, and resolution.  The piano sounds so natural, better than my old Parasound Halo gear.

And from what I've read, Schiit went with a subtle touch with the tube effect.  In fact, some tube lovers think the Freya+ isn't "tubey" enough.  For me, the gear has to be faithful to the music, not adding "tubey" effects or whatever.  Adding personality, that's for my speakers... 

And if I don't feel like tubes, I simply select one of the other non tube modes.  That's right, there are 3 different modes.  Passive, jfet buffer and the tube section.  

Sure, cat, I had the Parasound Halo P5 and also the P7.  Earlier I owned the Anthem TLP-1 as well.  I also used the Emotiva XDA-1 as a pre.

What made me curious enough to try the Freya+ was an audiophile who has a channel on youtube.  He owns some very expensive gear, and is regularly bringing in components to review.  

He brought in the old generation Freya, and was seriously impressed with it.  He estimated that the old Freya was giving him 90% of what his $3500 pre was giving him, and for only $699.  The new Freya+  is significantly better, with SNR and crosstalk numbers that are on another level.  

He mentions that the volume knob disengages when you use the remote, and the mother board flexes when changing tubes.  Schiit improved both for the Freya +.  Here's a link to the review:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwMXMtSprxI

Wolf, good to know on the tube removal procedure!  On my previous pre, the Saga, I once misaligned the tube when inserting, a rookie mistake.  That's also something that those new to tubes need to be aware of.

BTW, you're the guy that made me curious about the Freya, and it's the best preamp I've had by far.  It's an end game piece.