. Again suggestions on an inexpensive preamp would be appreciated.[/QUOTE]

I would strongly consider the Grant Fidelity DAC-11 Preamp/DAC combo. It is a tube preamp-dac. After it breaks in it has a very nice slightly warmer sound. Initially it was a little on the bright side of neutral. I have one and run it with the CDA-254 Class D audio amp. It has usb, analog and digital inputs. It can be used as a Preamp, DAC or both. For $325 it is a very good deal.

If you want to go cheaper, take a look at the Maverick TubeMagic DAC-1 which is also a tube Preamp/DAC for $200. But you need to get the tube upgrade for an additional $20 and you need to replace the on board op amp for $10 to get really good sound. The Op amp replacement is easy and takes about 1 minute. The is no soldering. I bought one for my son and it has excellent sound.

Maverick Audio - TubeMagic D1 DAC

If you want a nice cheap digital amp to run with some efficient speakers, take a look at the Dayton DTA 100a amp. It is perfect for efficient speakers 6-8ohms. I have one driving a pair of Monitor Audio S1 speakers and it sounds great. The S1's are rated at 89dB so they are not real efficient.

Dayton Audio DTA-100a Class-T Digital Amplifier 50 WPC Provides Power To Computer Speakers, Bookshelf Speakers, Headphones, And More! 300-383