Suggestions for a holographic preamp?

@onhwy61 - good question, and I've got a very strange answer. It's the remote; this ain't just any remote, this is a cheap piece of plastic that's 3 1/2 inches long and 2 inches wide. It weighs about as much as a cheap piece of plastic that size. It falls between cushions a lot.

I've never seen anything like it; I think I read on a forum that originally his gear didn't have remote, but his customers kept requesting one, so this is it; he's showing he was putting his effort into designing and building gear, not remotes for 'em.

Still, it's got 10 buttons plus volume up and down. But these are custom programmed and a universal remote will not work with the preamp. As of now, he says he can be contacted if one needs to buy a replacement remote, but when it's down to one guy and probably a limited supply of remotes.... 

So I don't need a preamp to better the performance of my Herron, just to at least equal it, but without me having to worry about going remoteless, and as often as I use the mute and volume controls, that would not do. 

@larsman 

I've owned both of the preamps your colleague recommended and I doubt either one would be the equal of your current preamp.  If you're interested at all in the Modwright units then look higher up the line.  The BHK is not only discontinued but noisy and finnicky about tubes. As the reseller of most PS Audio trade-in gear I'm sure they have a warehouse full at this point.  I would look at Backert and Linear Tube Audio.

Wyred4Sound STP SE would be my reccomendation.

@soix Thanks for the clarification, picked it up when Lampi was described as “holographic” so I associated with their tubes creating warmth. 

@jackd - Ah, I stated that confusingly, sorry - he's not a co-worker of mine - I don't work anywhere! - he's the rep at the Music Room who I deal with as a customer.