Reasonably priced preamplifier

schiit freya is the deal of the Century. It's amazing what has been able to do with this, a high-quality product that's built really well.

Otherwise you could pay thousands for mystery boxes you have no idea what's inside them. Everything is way overpriced ..

I like Conrad Johnson and have a couple amplifiers including the gat 2. You could probably pick one up used for about 12,000 and it's worth stretching for. Very comfortable to listen to.  The solid amplifier you referred to very detailed and I'm not sure they are enjoyable to listen to. Freya is remarkable.  I'm not sure whether they're doing a higher grade version of it although they really don't need to I wish the company offered phone service but you can't talk to anyone but their email responses probably are OK at this point. I think they have a retail store in California someplace

The Chinese copy FM155 [or FM 255] preamps sound fantastic and are very cheap.Much better than a Schiit Freya for example.As they should be because the real things are around $20,000 and considered one of the best sounding preamps you can buy.

@mbmi  I have the same preamp. The Audio gd continues to blow me away with its clarity, focus, separation, and presence. 

@emergingsoul  I, too had the Schiit Freya+ before I stepped up to the Audio Gd. The Freya was really good. Schiit delivers way above their price point. Plenty of inputs and the passive option sounded pretty full. . It did run a bit hot. But I loved it.  Can't go wrong. But the Audio GD is in a different stratosphere. 

Do add the Musical Fidelity Ms8 preamp to your short list, very neutral, transparent and musical. 

Aesthetix, Janus Signature - pre-owned $6K-ish should be in the conversation