What the most musical power amp for under $1K?

I have this Audio Research tube amp that soon will need to be retubed. So, one night I decided, just for fun, to hook up a little NAD 50 watt receiver, that I have in my office system, to drive my Von Schweikert VR4 SE's. Well, I couldn't believe it. The damn thing sounded pretty good. The word that coming to mind while listening was MUSICAL. No, it didn't have near the resolution, or air, or extension on the top as the Audio Research, but it sounded very nice, rich, warm and musical.
So, now I've been looking for something like a used NAD C272. Something to hold me over, until I really decide if I want to spend the bucks to retube, or get something else.
To get to the question, what's your recommendation for an inexpensive, MUSICAL, solid state amp to hold me over until I decide what to do (NAD, Parasound, Quad 909, Cambridge Audio, used Krell, etc). I'd like to find something for under $1K.
In advance, thanks!