Recommendations for mic preamp

I'm getting ready to assemble a voice recording set up. Budget is limited, so I can't go crazy, but I also need excellent quality voice recordings. Though most recordings will be for podcasts, many users will have decent quality headphones when they listen. Hum, static, thin voices, and otherwise crappy audio won't fill the need.

I have a studio quality mic (Sennheiser stick is one of them) already, but want to replace or augment it. The first issue I have is getting audio levels high enough for high quality recording into Soundtrack and a low noise floor. I tried out the ART series preamp, and found it functional with a reasonably warm result in the voice. However, the S/N ratio is too narrow.

The mics I'm using now give me excellent audio for my video recordings when hooked directly to the cameras.

I have no preference whether I go with Line In or USB, but I'm likely to need it to be one or the other rather than a new sound card. Still, I don't want to discount that latter option if that's the better way to do.

What recommendations do you have for:
- A mixer/preamp that will give me a strong enough output and low noise.
- Mic for excellent voice recordings (I'm not using it for anything else)
- Soundcard if that's the best option

In each case, I need to be careful with my budget, so I'm looking to get bang for the buck, not a Cadillac.

Thanks,

Bob Rice
Frameworx Media