Harry- if you liked the Aleph 3(30 watts Class A) How about the Forte 1a or the 4a. This is also a Nelson Pass design. It is 50 watts of Class A. These can be had in 500.00 dollar range. I have never read a bad thing about this amp,in fact most people rave about it.
Alternatives to Pass Labs
Pass Labs are great amps but are expensive too. Are there any other good amps (stereo and or multi-channel) that are as great sounding as the pass labs products but not as expensive? I had an (borrowed from a friend) an Aleph 3 and I felt that the Aleph was on SS(solid state) amp closest to the tube sound but at the same time retaining the SS features.