What's a contender to an Audio Reference 5 SE?

I'm quite surprised no one mentioned Ayre preamps.

@melbguy1 You have an interesting perspective.  But I was never suggesting a $20k preamp.  I was asking for suggestions comparable to an ARC Ref 5SE which is $13k new.  So with the Plinius total investment would be in the $33k-$35k range for amp and preamp.  While I'm sure the Vitus SIA-025 integrated is a very good piece of gear, I'm not sure I would consider it at $27k and only 25 watts of Class A power compared to the other gear.

@stringreen I don't remember if it was here or not but someone did mention Ayre and I did look at them.  But in the end went with the Allnic.

Good luck with it, I heard great sounds in the Care Audio room at the NYC audio show in 2014 where they featured Allnic equipment. It was very impressive.

@lak Since your response was really the only one with real world experience with the same amp I took your advice and got a new Allnic L-3000 Mk II.  Even with only about 40 hours on it I am simply ecstatic.  Thanks again for the solid advice!

timztunz; Excellent! Let me know how you like it after you get a few hours on it. What power cord are you planning to use on the preamp?