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

Ok, at the risk of waking up "you know who" I want to tell you where I'm at now with my thinking and see what you more knowledgeable people have to say.

1) Right, wrong or indifferent I do think I'm set on trying a tube preamp with my solid state Plinius SA-Reference.amp.  So we can stop discussing solid state amps for now.

2) When I asked for "contenders" to the ARC Ref 5SE I should have been more clear that I meant "somewhere in the similar price range".  While I'm sure some of the pieces suggested are just phenomenal, some of them are 2-3 times the price range indicated.

3) That being said and all other things being equal (same room, same other gear, same cables, etc.) which of the following 3 choices do you think is going to throw the widest, deepest, tallest sound stage and provide the most distinctive image?
ARC Reference 5SE
Allnic L-3000 Mk 2
VAC Renaissance Mk3

Thank you for participating.

Tsushima1 sez ...

"Does your frame of reference extend to ARC Ref40 or Ref10?"

Exactly! The closest I've heard to real organic music from a stereo system was in the Optimal Enchantment room at the Newport show three years ago. Randy was using all of the very best gear ARC offers including the phono stage. It was amazing ... and I almost took out a second mortgage on the house. The last two years, they used amps from a different Mfg and in my opinion, the magic was gone.

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that no matter how much we spend on equipment, or what our biases are, we are trying to reproduce music through electronic devices. In all cases, we are fooling ourselves. So ... we have to try to try to select the equipment that "fools" us the best. A lot of it is subjective and a matter of taste. My "right" doesn't necessarily make your "right" wrong ... and visa versa.

There is a new company who owns AR these days. They are responsible for the cheaper parts they use. Beside this the reliability is also not of the same quality anymore.

These things are more common these days, and that is not a good thing in the world of audio. We see it at all price ranges.

Audio is getting a hard time since 2008. It is a lot more difficult to compete these days. Beside this we see that the youth is less interested in better audio quality.

The positive thing is however that techniques improve and in some ways you get a higher level for less money than in the past.

The same group that now owns McIntosh. So according to your opinion McIntosh is also using "cheaper parts"? You are really holding a grudge against Audio Research aren't you? How long did you sell their products? 

@bo1972 you have not added even one shred of value to this discussion.  You have attempted to dominate someone else's thread, looking for real advice, with constant negativity about one brand in particular without ONCE offering an alternative.

But thank you to everyone else who offered advice and worthwhile opinions.  I went with the Allnic L-3000 Mk II.