[Belga]

Currently I'm using a Bryston Preamp (balanced) to drive 2 solid state power amps to feed my Maggies. The dynamics and taught base are impressive but the mids and highs are harsh when playing cd's. Vinyl and tuner are fairly musical and smooth. I replaced the Bryston with a Chinese build AMC tube preamp (unbalanced). The sound became smoother and warm but I lacked the dynamics, and the incredible dry base was gone. I did some tube swapping but couldn't match the dynamics of the balanced Bryston.
Maybe I should try a Conrad-Johnson or Sonic Frontiers tube preamp. Or maybe I should toss my cd-player for a tube-cd-player.
I'am an audiophile on a budget and can not spend more than $700 on a used item. Any suggestions are welcome.

Thanks