I keep thinking, yes, ARC make great Amps, but the Pre's seem expensive compared with other brands. I own the ARC Ref 75SE Power amp and although it is expensive, it seems great value for what it does. The Reference 5SE or 5 are well north of $10000 and the 6 is I believe, about $16000.
I was planning on the Ref 3, as an ARC Pre I could afford second hand, but I compared it with a Modwright 36.5 and I preferred the Modwright by a small margin, but a big cost saving. That is as an Ex dem Modwright against a second hand Ref 3.