suggestion for a SS class AB amp that sounds like a class A ... if such a thing exists

@alaindexe  I think the other brands mentioned here (Belles, Ayre, Benchmark) all sound great. Out of curiosity (in case I try to sell mine), what specifically about the build quality of the Atoll doesn't feel first class to you? I posted a photo of the Atoll on my system for you to take a look: https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/9064

The Unison Research Unico Primo is a little above your price target but is worth a look as it has a lot of what you’re looking for and you might find one used.  The Primo has tubes only in the input stage, and the amp section is biased to emulate a Class-A type sound.  There was a Stereophile review a few years ago that describes its sonic attributes nicely.  Just another potential option, and best of luck in your search. 

I have the Benchmark. Its behavior is dependent on what you connect upstream. The closest you can get to a “straight wire with gain.” 

I run mine with a Schiit Freya Plus which, in passive mode, measures nearly as well as Benchmark’s LA4 preamp. If you want the buttery-smooth class A sound from it you merely need pair it with a class-A preamp.

Ayre does a video-cast now. Pints with Ayre.

Big fan of Ayre.  It's got a unique sound, like it sucks noise out of the room. :)

I love them, but because it's so unique you should listen, and in particular, listen with your speakers.

The Benchmark will be by far and away the least class A-sounding, so delete immediately from your list.

But are you looking for an integrated or a power amp?

Alongside the Ayre integrated, you could look at the Belles Aria.

I was curious about my Atoll A/B integrated and I wrote to Atoll about this question. They responded right away. They said,

"The IN200 works in Class A up to about 40W under 8 Ohm. The switch to Class AB is quite slow."

Possibly of interest.

I listen mostly to digital sources... a 16 feet long standard USB cable goes from my computer to the Benchmark DAC1, and another 12 feet long cable goes from the DAC to the Sugden... I used a standard USB cable because the guy at Benchmark told me there was no need for a better one. I don’t know much about the second cable but it looks like a good one. As for my speakers wire, they are OFC Audioquest... I used to have a much better cross over made with oil condenser and other military grade parts, but I had to sell it in order to buy my actual Altec... The sound was better but I also had a different amp...

Benchmark.

Your Sudgen is a respectable amp, and have worked on some Altec related custom designs with a few friends, they can be transparent with great crossover parts inside, once upgraded.  While I hate to open this can of worms, what sort of source and cabling are you running for ICs and speaker wire?  

Are you already running silver plated interconnect or speaker cabling,  sometimes a simple move from OFC to OCC crystal copper cabling can add transparency.  OCC can be really open and smooth too.  Maybe some other areas to check too while considering replacing your amp, fwiw.