I have seen the Audible Illusions for around $600. I've also seen Krell KRS preamps for about $800. Both of those were on Audiogon. Bear in mind, none of these have any tone controls except the Adcom.

Although the Creek is a preamp, it's rather limited in controls. IE: No balance control. No tape monitor. And, last but not least, no phono stage. Of course if you have no TT that's not important.

The Audible Illusions, Krell, Conrad Johnson and Audio Research all sound significantly better than the Adcom or Creek. If I were on a budget and wanted SS, I'd go for the Audible Illusions. Otherwise it would be Krell for SS. Choosing between Audio Research and Conrad Johnson (both tubed) is largely a matter of personal taste.