Good luck with the Classe, they can sound pretty nice with the right speakers and often end up matched with B&Ws because they have the same distributor.
I would not shy away from trying the PimaLuna ProLogue 2 if you can find one used within your budget. Along with the Naim Nait 5i, it is the most memorable listen I have had in the $1500 range. Here is what Ed Kobesky from Positive Feedback said about it:
"When the music started, the ProLogue Two surprisedno, shockedme by painting a smooth sonic picture that was also controlled and coherent. Many tube amps I've heard are slow in the midrange, dull on top, and loosey-goosey on the bottom. Not the ProLogue Two. It can't compete with solid-state amps in terms of tightness and fastness, but it never sacrifices detail to provide a warm, soothing presentation. It just sounds good, and not in a deliberately tube-like way. Music is presented in its entirety. At moderate to medium-high volumes, it does a remarkable job of sorting out instrumental lines, right down to the individual notes. I'd have no qualms about pairing it with sources and speakers that cost many times its absurdly low price. It also brought out the very best in budget gear. Whether fed the signal from my NAD C521i CD player or a $50 Sony CD Walkman, the results were musical. The ProLogue Two can be alternately forgiving and revealing. That, in a word, is magic."
Yeah, what he said.
Finally, I am intrigued as all get out with Johnyb53's suggestion of the new Denon integrated for $1199 new.
I would not shy away from trying the PimaLuna ProLogue 2 if you can find one used within your budget. Along with the Naim Nait 5i, it is the most memorable listen I have had in the $1500 range. Here is what Ed Kobesky from Positive Feedback said about it:
"When the music started, the ProLogue Two surprisedno, shockedme by painting a smooth sonic picture that was also controlled and coherent. Many tube amps I've heard are slow in the midrange, dull on top, and loosey-goosey on the bottom. Not the ProLogue Two. It can't compete with solid-state amps in terms of tightness and fastness, but it never sacrifices detail to provide a warm, soothing presentation. It just sounds good, and not in a deliberately tube-like way. Music is presented in its entirety. At moderate to medium-high volumes, it does a remarkable job of sorting out instrumental lines, right down to the individual notes. I'd have no qualms about pairing it with sources and speakers that cost many times its absurdly low price. It also brought out the very best in budget gear. Whether fed the signal from my NAD C521i CD player or a $50 Sony CD Walkman, the results were musical. The ProLogue Two can be alternately forgiving and revealing. That, in a word, is magic."
Yeah, what he said.
Finally, I am intrigued as all get out with Johnyb53's suggestion of the new Denon integrated for $1199 new.