???What's The LEAST Expensive "End Game"Amplifier You've Ever Heard???

The Pass Labs XA25 is one of the most 'transparent' amps and a reference for many reviewers. Audiophiliac, Stereophile, Absolute Sound. I have one paired to Harbeth 30.2 40th and it is a match made in heaven.
Last week i was auditioning speakers and the store owner told me that a customer had recently changed his entire set up 5 times more expensive to go with the XA25 because he liked it so much. 
At about 5k USD , you cannot go wrong. Built like a tank, sound like velvet.

When I bought my Simaudio 340i, I was auditioning it against the Bryston B135 cubed and Cronus Magnum III.  I picked it because it's really musical, has great current capability resulting in excellent woofer control.  A really neutral, very capable amplifier section.

My analog section consists of the 340i phono stage being fed by a Graham Slee MC amplifier connected to a Mofi Ultradeck/AT-OC9SH cartridge.  The digital side is a Chord Qutest feeding the single ended input of the 340i.

At this point there are many things I'll upgrade, like cables etc., before considering replacing the 340i. 

This thread does a disservice to the uninitiated by recommending SET and tube amps providing less than 10 watts of power without knowing what kind of speakers are being powered.  If you're new to audio please do not just go out and buy an amp based on a recommendation here without considering system synergy and speaker sensitivity.  

For example, I once purchased a Pass Labs XA25 that someone else recommended in this thread and with my 95db sensitivity speakers the XA25 sounded veiled with rolled off highs and loose uncontrolled wooly bass .  Sure it was warm and offered a tonally denser midrange but I hated everything else about it compared to the other amps in my stable.  I couldn't sell that thing fast enough.  

Pass XA30.5 to my ears is the best I’ve owned. Detailed and layered with great tonality. Refuses to be clinical or piercing which I appreciate.