Several of your sugestions is not availeble in Sweden (where I live). If I was in the US it would be pretty easy to order an amplifier from some small interesting brand and have the option to return it in, say, 60-days, if I don’t like it. That will not be so easy when living in Sweden. And if I took a chance and order a amp for $4000 it would be $5500 when I would receive it due to tax and fees.
Yes, there are always other amlifiers that sounds better. Even if I buy one for 10k there will be better ones.
Hence the mention of Class-D.
Purifi is over the bridge in Denmark, and a few EU manufacturers have amps using their modules. It may be a lot easier to find a demo.
PL is also Denmark/China so that is likely easier choice in Sweden.
FWIW, what I am getting from what I have read on this site is that the preamp has more influence on the sound than the amp does.
A tube preamp feeding a SS (A/B) or Class-D can sound pretty good.
… and it obviates needing to find an amp with the transformers that do not saturate, or allows speakers with very difficult loads to be run.
easy speakers can use Class-A, A/B, D or a Triode designs, but the difficult ones need push-pull tubes, A/B or D.
… and there may be good choices (combo) in all topologies… and there may also be bad ones - which are heavily driven by the speakers.