Has anyone compared Ayre K-1xe to ARC Ref 3 or VTL

I have an Ayre K-1xe preamp with phono stage - which I love.

But I have since acquired an Aesthetix Io Signature, so I no longer use the Ayre's built-in phono stage, which occupies one of the Ayre's 3 balanced XLR inputs. The Io sounds noticeably better through the balanced XLR connections than the single ended connections.

More recently I acquired an Exemplar Denon 5910 with balanced XLR outs only. I also have an Ayre C-5xe, which also sounds much better through the balanced XLR connections than the single ended connections.

I asked Ayre to remove the phono card and return its associated balanced XLR input to line stage. Ayre refuses to remove phono cards from its preamps. So now I have to choose between compromising the sound of vinyl or digital through the C-5xe.

All of this sets the stage for me to sell the K-1xe. I'm considering replacing it with an ARC Ref 3 or a VTL 7.5. I would welcome thoughts from those with experience with these 3 preamps.

Thanks,

Ed