How to pick a tubed integrated without hearing one

You have pretty much narrowed it down with your budget.

I was thinking integrated would be the best bang for buck ? Van alstine is close by and i can hear a piece in his system.And i did just recently see he won an award for his tubed integrated. How much does the actual tubes affect the sound vs the design and products used to build one? Is there a real dramatic sound change from different tubes?

I was in the same boat as you years ago, no real good shops around, so I pretty much did what stanwal said, research, read, research. Then buy something used here. It usually maintains its value. Put together a system, then start tweaking. Say you want warmer sound, identify your weak companant, sell it right here. Say you lose $50, I think of it like an audition fee, no big deal. Buy the next component and keep going. I have built a really excellent mid-fi system over the years. And don't forget, keep buying the music!!

ok . You hit on my main thought .Should i only go with a name brand for resale purposes . Like rogue,manley,jolida,mcintosh,vincent, those are just a few i can think of without looking at the classifieds.or is there other brands well known for those in the "know" about tubed gear ? To hit on the suggestion of a passive : The only passive i am familiar with is the George lightspeed which is $500 new . That would only leave me with $500 for a amp only ? is that a good combo ?

My Cayin-TA 30 with the right tubes has a great sound and has very surprising bass. It is no longer made but the Primaluna Prolouge 1 is an essential clone with auto bias feature and has received rave reviews. Prior to that I used a restored Fisher 400 receiver with original tubes. It was unbelievably sweet sounding for the money but lacked the bass and overall balance of the Cayin in my system. Of course it did have a fantastic tuner section, and it was all in one unit, which received much approval in my household.