Gents, remember that he's merely looking to a replace a dying preamp, not upgrading... Also , the current Emotiva Pre (USP1) should be a lateral move from his Adcom... The upcoming pre should be a bit of a step up.... A tube/hybrid pre at the same price (approx $800) for the upcoming XSP-1 would probably give a different (but not necesarily better) sound...

If he has just one or two sources (capable of driving an amp directly) I'd probably suggest checking out a Passive Pre... Creek and Channel Islands have some well regarded ones in his price range...