While i'm at it, other good options:
- ADK Ap-1 - API cloan that alllows you to switch opamps and transformers. Good bang for the buck and sounds great even stock.
- Get an API or Old School Audio rack and then there are a lot of great options you can pick up for around $600...api, brent averill, old school audio, purple, a-designs...a lot more on the way or out now. A great option and allows you to expand in the future.
- Sytek 4 channel pre - these go for around $800 for 4 channels. You can get 2 with burr brown chips so they sound a little different. These are good all-rounders but I feel you should go for something better here if you're looking for top quality.
- Dan Alexander Audio Dual Class A - Neve 1272 clones. I used to have a pair and they're pretty nice for the used price of about $1000. I think the Seventh Circle Neve clones sound better to me...but this is still an option.
- Vintech Dual 72 - Another Neve 1272 clone - Kind of Dark sounding...lots of people like it though.
- Great River MP1nv - Great pre. It's about $1200 but you'd be very happy with it.
- Used
Universal Audio LA-610 - This is my favorite version of the 610 preamp and it happens to come with a cool La-2a style limiter after it. I just sold mine for $1100 to buy something else, but it's a really cool colored pre. Just be ready to use that pad a lot because it likes to distort! But very thick and smooth sound.
- Peavey VMP-2 - I meantioned it in another post. Very underrated tube pre.
- Racked up "obscure" pres on ebay. you'll have to do your research on them. But spectrasonics, rca, etc have some decent pres that many people don't know about so don't exactly command "vintage values".
- SafeSound Audio P1 - Kind of clean pre but very smooth. Comes with a compressor too. I can't say anything bad about this one.
With all these options out there, you can definitely find quality without spending $2000.
Good luck.