Pre amp recommendations

I will also recommend the BHK preamp.  I added one to my system and it made an improvement that I was not sure was possible in my room/system.  The system is much more real sounding, has increased sound stage front to back and top to bottom, a bit more decay in the notes, a generally more musical presentation, and  I seem to have lost a boominess in the lower frequencies and the harshness in the higher frequencies.  I don't know if you will realize all the benefits when using the Node.  I replaced the Node early on and the improvement was easy to detect - I wanted to start with the best signal I could afford as I improved up the chain.  

I was not using the Node’s internal DAC. At the time, I was using a Node that fed into a benchmark DAC3 (DAC and volume control). I swapped the Node for an Aurender N150. You are on the right track, IMO, by focusing on the preamp and the Node. I don’t know which one you should get first. I started with the Node because it was the least expensive item in my chain. My audiophile buddy told me the streamer upgrade would be noticeable because it was for him, and I thought the DAC3 was top-notch - I never considered there would be an improvement with a separate preamp. My audio journey has made me re-think a lot of the opinions I had.