Vandersteen 1c, and an integrated

The 60 Watt Rotel integrated is a classic starter combo with the 1C within your price range. But your other choices seem to be good ones as well; I think you'll be ok with any of the one's you list, but might want to add Arcam for consideration.

Thanks, I'll look at the Arcams.

There are two pairs of 1Cs in my home. One is part of a modest home theater system in the bedroom and is powered by an old 60wpc AV receiver. The other is part of my son's system and is connected to a 35wpc NAD integrated. The receiver has more wallop but the integrated sounds sweeter, particularly with female vocals (a Vandersteen strength in my opinion). However, I have also connected a pair to a 100wpc tube amp in my main system and they sound stellar there. I would, therefore, recommend that you find an inexpensive tubed integrated because these speakers LOVE tubes. I've heard that Cayin and Primaluna make products that should work well in this application.
Good luck!

I'm a definitely in the tube camp, but I would discuss with Richard before going that route with the 1Cs. Most VS need a lot of tube power with current (not cheap) to shine in the bass region. I think the 1Cs have some nasty impedance dips in the bass region that could be a challenge to a tube amp; of course the midrange and above would sound better than SS IMHO, but I do think the speaker needs some careful matching to get the bass right. I have not tried the Cayin and Primaluna, so I'm not saying they wouldn't work.

as a ex owner of the 1c ...i would easily recommend blue cirlce , naim nait 5, i also used s.e.t amps with the speaker from 2 - 20 watts with nice results in the bedroom...smaller room and also any of the rega amps sound great as well ...these are 90 db effecient..so even low power tube amps work nicely...hope i helped !!

Your list looks great. I would second the addition of PrimaLuna ProLogue I or II integrated tube amps. NAD 372 might be fun with all that juice.

As a current owner of 1B's I can tell you they sound fantastic with a Music Reference RM-10 which could probably be found used and paired with Roger's pot in a box for right around your budget.

Music Reference RM10 is a great little amp (I have owned the RM 10, RM 9 and now the RM 9 Special Edition). If the RM 10 can drive the VS it would indeed be a great, affordable set up, and I can vouch for the Pot-in-a-Box which I interchanged with my Joule 150 MK II which I preferred to Lamm, CAT, and Placette Active - in other words a $150 pre that competes with some heavy hitters. I'm still suprised that that a low power tube amp can make the best of the bass potential of the VS1s, but theory and listening are two different things. Hard to find the RM10 used though ($800-$1200 -MKI,MKII- when they do show up).

Yes, the RM-10 really is an excellent match for the 1b's. I don't think they're that hard to drive, I also used a passive pre although not Roger's. Coincidentally there is another thread about powering Proac 1sc's which is what I now have hooked up to my RM-10 (I still have the vandy's just not sure I want to sell them) but figured I'd look like too much of a MR shill if I posted there also.

Well, if the RM10 can drive them, I'd say that is a pretty hard amp to beat anywhere near the price, and about as maintenance free as a tube amp can be. Small, cool running, and cheap to retube -- in many years.

I was wondering, what evrybody thinks of the new YBA gear, the intagrated, and cd player. They have a good sale at Audio Advisor.

They YBA gear I have heard has been superb. Don't know about the particular stuff you are looking at, but they certainly have an excellent reputation.