Preamp Options under $3500

I’ve owned quite a few preamps in this price range, and believe it or not, my favorite among them all is the Topping A70Pro. It’s actually a headphone amp but also functions as a very good preamp. It doesn’t have a phono section but its width is only half that of most preamps, so you could add a half-width phono preamp like the Parasound XRM (also a ridiculous value) and you’d have approximately the same footprint. Or you could even stack one atop the other. Both are incredibly quiet and transparent.
 
There are preamps that editorialize the music in some way that may be subjectively preferable, but none will be more transparent IME. 

@t_ramey 

I have had the Benchmark LA4, Bel Canto Pre5, Bel Canto PRe1 with Ace Tomato upgrades, the Coda Continuum CP, Mac C49, Schiit Freya (passive mode), Questyle CMA 12, Quad Artera, Topping Pre90 and Topping A90 Discrete. Also various line stage sections of integrated amps (some of which are surprisingly good), and DACs with volume control. Those are just the solid state ones that I can recall off the top of my head.