I'm also a Thiel speaker owner who recently moved up from
an Adcom GFA-555 II amp to a McIntosh MC-150 - which is a
great amp for use with Thiel speakers. Though the MC-150
is out of your price range; you can get an older McIntosh
model MC-2200 model amp within your price range. The MC-2200
does not have the glass face plate and meters found on most
Mac amps - only an aluminum face plate with 4 LED lights.
But it is very conservatively rated at 200 watts in to 8
Ohms and should very easily handle much larger loads with no
problem. I might also add, it is also a very smooth and
detailed amp that will match well with your Thiel speakers.
I use Transparaent MusicWave speaker cables with my MC-150
and love the sound.