Here's my story. I bought a new Minimax way back in 06 or 07 and sold it like you said after one year. I played with another highly regarded preamp and couldn't get used to it. It was slacking the slam of the Minimax that I enjoy. To make a long story short, I sold the replacement and went back to the Minimax, the updated version, and i've been very happy ever since.
What did you get after the Minimax pre ?
I'm curious to see what some of the previous owners of the Minimax moved to after selling it. I see quite a bit of them here. I own one and I think it's a real special piece for the price.