As pointed out already, there’s not much random in your counselling others, and experimenting, to find a combination that allows you to hear deep into your music. I echo the finding of Ayon eqpt. noted in post above.
If you have a tube transport / DAC AND power amp capability / sound character that you value highly, you might try eliminating the relative complication and noise of a pre-amp in favour of a transformer volume control (TVC) or similar device: if you like your upstream components, your music could be revealed much more transparently and richly, depending, of course, upon a positive mating of your components. Enjoy your search.