Primaluna or not Primaluna

To the OP, everyone here is going to tell you what they have or had is good for your purpose. You owe it to yourself to listen to one of the new Prima Luna Evo amps. They are quite special sounding

That is what I would purchase. If you don’t like it, they hold their value very well and you will not lose much on a resale.  If you want a tube sound, don't waste your money on one of the Rogue Cronus Magnums, they sound more like solid state and that is why I got rid of mine within the first year of ownership.

It will use tube rectification and not solid state rectification (because I have heard solid state rectification takes away the tube sound).

My first tube amp was a Cary SLA 70 (I still have it) and it has tube rectification.  I bought a pair of ARC VTM 120s which had SS rectification and later replaced those with a Cary V-12 (that I am listening to now) that also has SS rectification. I would say that all three of those amps probably had certain differences in their sonic signatures,  but I'd also say that they all had the "tube sound."  

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.

I wish you well in your quest.

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.

I mentioned previously that I needed an amp I could lift so I recently bought a Nord Class D with dual Purifi and Sparkos Op amps. Shipped from the UK to Australia the landed cost was A$ 3000approx, well within your budget. I have approx 50 hours on it at the moment and it is getting better and better. Is it as good as the EAR 534?  at present probably not but it is getting very close with more hours of use. There are also manufacturers of Purifi based amps in France and Italy but their names escape me at the moment. Also as Holmz says it matches very well with a tube pre that I use ( Aesthetix Calypso ).

Why did you get a Nord instead of the March Audio amp @mazian  ?