Who makes great active preamps ? Tube or solid state or hybrid.

Having recently experienced what a major IC upgrade can mean, I wonder what ICs the negative commenters were using

Anyway of you are on a sub $1500 budget, you might get lucky and find a used Audio Alchemy DDP-1 + PS 5. It is a balanced design (also has rca outs) with built in dac; MSRP ~ $2600

For amps and preamps, I still go with VAC, Shindo, Jadis and Lamm.  I think Lamm's LL1.1 qualifies as a great preamp, and while I love my VAC amp, my Lamm monos might have been just a little more refined in some respects (not that the VAC isn't).

Do not forget the 10Y of Thomas Mayer to match the best as Shindo, Kondo, Audio Note

audiog

I concur with markus1299.

Atma-Sphere MP-1 or MP-3