I am with Patriot - the NAD 317 is as good as any amp upto $2000. I think the Happy Medium (happymedium.com) sells 'em for around $600 - right around your budget. BTW it is twice as expensive as the NAD C340 suggested by Doctorjest and if you know NAD, you know that the extra money didn't go into cosmetics. You will get terrific dynamics, articulation and far greater-than-you-should-expect-at-the-price refinement.
