I think the point littledog made was not supposed to be arrogant but rather that there is no absolute best. You are dealing in an area where almost everything is subjective. Otherwise, you could simply compare the specs on the different pre-amps. The one with the best specs would therefore be the best. Obviously, that is not a real-world, workable solution.
You must listen and find what you like. For example, try and explain in words the precise sound you like from guitar. No matter how many words you use or how well you use them, nobody could really know until they heard the sound. This is the nature of what you are dealing with. For this reason, there is no absolute best. And, more importantly, you are making a dangerous and potentially costly mistake by asking another person what they think is the best. If that person does not have the same taste as you, then their opinion is worthless without you knowing that it is worthless. It will seem knowledgable, informed and sincere and it might very well be, but that does not remove the human perception variable and that, my freind, is everything.
If you really just want to know more about pre-amps, I sould suggest some basic reading on the subject. Find out a little about how they work, the whys and wherefores of different designs. Some basic info on tubes vs. solid state. With that information, look at the online catalogues for the high end professional suppliers and see what they have to offer.
After you do all of that, then come the truly difficult part...Find a place where you can demo these models in a suitable situation where you can really hear what they do. This is nearly impossible to do but try. In lieu of that, you can read Mix magazine or maybe Electronic Musician or one of those type rags. See who uses what and listen to their product. Maybe that will give you some idea.
After all is said and done, make your purchase. After spending more than 2k on a pre-amp, assuming you bought one of the well known, respectable brands offerings, you will likely be happy with the result. The truth is that just about all of the high end preamps from companies like Avalon, Manley, Focusrite, Universal Audio, etc. sound great. They are all great and nobody in thier right mind would say otherwise. The differences may be subtle or, for you extreme but it is not a matter of one sounds good and the other does not, it is only that they all sound very good and they all sound a bit different.
That is the reason for the comment though it was a bit in-artfully or tactlessly stated. Be that as it may, there is no escaping the fact that it is, in essence, the truth.
