If you want to simply relax and enjoy the music with a piece of gear that will put a smile on your face ever time you use it, then your shortlist should definitely include the Luxman 505 100/150 W/Ch or 507 110/200 W/ch Z series and the Mark Levinson 5805 125/250 W/ch - On offer now from Music Direct for well within your price range. While quite different in many ways, both are extraordinarily well designed, well built, and well supported, and in addition to their long pedigrees, have fabulous sound quality.
I’m not a big fan of minimalist one knob designs - 50 years in this hobby has given me an appreciation for well conceived and well executed feature sets. Nor does most esoteric European hifi gear appeal to me for the same reason I’m not a fan of esoteric European sports cars - It’s all fun until something breaks. Then, get out you big checkbook and be prepared to wait. Ask anyone who’s ever owned a Lotus. or, back in the day, a Tandberg, great sounding electronics and miserable reliability with perpetual backorders on parts.
I’d also be wary of Krell, whom I would otherwise recommend, due to the unfortunate death of their founder earlier this year. Their website redirects to a Thai online soccer betting site (!) indicates they’re still notfully running the business. This is unfortunately an all too common situation for small business - no continuity plan, When they lose the founder, they become essentially rudderless.
One last recommendation, The McIntosh MA-252 Hybrid Integrated Amp. 100/160 W/ch. Nodding to the MC-275 School of Design, visually it’s a bit of a love it / hate it proposition, but there’s no denying the heritage, the build, or the sound quality. As for me, It puts a grin on my face - and my ears. At $4500 it's an absolute steal.