I'm just finished building a 1073 Quad from Sound Skulptor kits. I'm not sure how they compare price wise in $ as I'm in the UK, but, I'm so, so impressed with these pre's. I've had experience with BAE, AMS and although I've not done a shoot out A/B, these clones certainly capture the vibe of Neve gear exceptionally well. Well worth checking out if you want to DIY.
I made a custom front panel & bought some knobs from group diy for mine cuz I'm a total geek.
They also do an API 512 which I'm about to build x4 of.
