Best integrated tube amp under 3K

Check out the Conrad Johnson CAV50

Audiomat Aprege @ $1900 is much better than the cav50. reviews on soundstage... info at mutine.com

Worth looking at EAR 834. New is $3500

Currently auditioning a Cary SLI-80 signature. Very happy with the sound. Teamed up with a Cary CD303 and B&W 805N. It will replace my Classe CAP150.

The Cary SLI50 has the musical magic. The dynamics both macro and micro are always there in concert with the music. Bandwith does not seem limited as with a lot of tubed gear I have listened to. This amp sounds like it has more power than the rated 30w. It will easily handle everything from jazz, rock, to classical in a small room without strain. It is extemely quiet between passages or with no signal, no tube rush, almost inaudible hum at full power. Unfortunatly out of production superceded by the SLI80 which uses 6550's instead of the E34L's and runs AB instead of complete class A. I have not auditioned an SLI 80.

Check out Gryphon from Denmark, one of the best in the world if not the best, but it is a solid state.

I just auditioned the Audion Silver Night & Sterling integrated amps, as well as the Jolida 801. I liked them all, but bought the Audion Sterling. 12wpc, remote, 5 input channels. I have it paired with Reynaud Trente Speakers and a YBA CD player, in a big room. The combination produces a very musical sound, clear, good soundstage. For me, I'm hearing it like never before, especially jazz combos. Czech it out...

Check out Pathos, really good stuff.

The SLI-50 is a super-cool unit.

A note (correction) about the Cary SLI-80 Sig...it is class A if you switch it into triode. The amp is switchable while you listen to 80w ultralinear to 40 w triode.

It also has switchable 4 and 8 ohms speaker taps.
What you think your speakers are impedence-wise may not be true. So this allows you to make that decision easily by what sound best to you.

The headphone jack is similar the CAD-300SEI which is so popular. When I got an SLI-80Sig in I tried the headphone jack and it was so quiet, even with my 20 year old AKG K-240 headphones which are effecient. So I thought perhaps the headphone pre-amp was solid state. I could not call as it was a weekend, so I took it apart. It's tube. Pretty cool.

Lastly it has pre-amp out for powered subs or bi-amping and remote control. The price changed slightly as they now include oil filled capacitors, but it is still below the price asked about in this thread.....

The Unison Research S6 tube integrated is quite fantastic @ under $3K