I settled up with a Lamm LL2.1 paired with a Pass Labs 30.5 and they paired beautifully and still have the combo in play. I went thru Lamm and they referred me to a couple of dealers since I didn't have one in Houston, wound up buying for less than $5,000.00 but not by much and was shipped to me direct from Lamm. Be glad to forward you the dealers name if interested. I did listen to three of your contenders in my system and the Lamm bettered them, the only real contender for me was the First Sound Presence preamp but the Lamm came in quite a bit cheaper. Good luck.
Seeking Suggestions on Preamp Upgrade (CJ, Aesthetix, EAR)
I have about $5,000 budget to upgrade a preamp. I am using Luxman 550 integrated as a preamp currently, it sounds a bit too lean to me. Rest of the system are Pass XA30.5, Dynaudio Contour 3.4, Marantz reference SACD. I am thinking CJ CT5/ET5, CJ ACT2, Aesthetix Calypiso, EAR 868, or Zesto Leto. Thank you very much!