second the Audiomat tube integrateds: self-biasing; EL-34 tubes are run conservatively and built quality is Sherman-tank like. Above all, incredibly musical.
The Prelude Ref is excellent, if you can stretch the budget a bit to ~$2,500 used (two on the 'Gon for sale right now), although above recommendation of Arpege is also a solid choice.
The Prelude Ref is excellent, if you can stretch the budget a bit to ~$2,500 used (two on the 'Gon for sale right now), although above recommendation of Arpege is also a solid choice.