"06-28-15: Mechans
I don't think any of you are wrong. The OP may not have had any other experience with a better Hi Fi amp. He wants to know if it really a giant killer sounding as good as amps much more costly he himself is not familiar with."
I fully understand what you're saying, but its a question that only the OP can answer because of its subjective nature. What I think is a good preamp, he may hate. There's so many factors to account for when making a selection like this, you really can't rely on other peoples opinions. And this is especially true for a preamp. Its usually the most important, and difficult component to get right. Nothing sounds worse than a preamp that doesn't work well with the other components.
Given the situation, the only recommendation that I would make, is to take your time. You're happy with the preamp you already have, so don't get rid of it until you have a definite replacement that you know you like better. Once you are able to do some comparisons, you'll find that in some cases, you won't like preamps that cost far more than the PL. That's why you need to be really careful.