step up from rotel?

If BAT find a vk 500 w/BAT pack.

If looking in that price range of vk 200 think about an Odyssey Stratos extreme.

An ATI 2000 2ch would be a step up IMO.

I'd think really hard about a Butler TDB amp too. Although a Hybrid amp, I feel it's a no brainer in the under $2K preowned mkt... it's SE only though, if that matters. With a TDB 5150 you could bi amp your speakers.

Waiting to hear what everything sounds like in a new place is sage advice. You might forgoe any exchanges then… or not.

The 1080 is a nice amp. Good bass, a tick on the warm side. Not huge and weighty. Easy to manage and can be run xlr or se. there are any number of different sounding amps, and arguably many better sounding amps too. If that $1,000 on hand funding for another amp does not include the resale of the 1080, you might add that in too and your chances for a definite step up improve a lot. Otherwise, you’ll be gaining perhaps not a lot better sound, but in exchange, simply a different sounding amp.

It would also be a good idea to wait and see, so you can get a feel for your DIY speakers needs… and be better able to more precisely feret out the direction your preffs an speaker needs will take you then.