Best Tube Amp under 5K

A pair of used Conrad-Johnson Premier 12 mono blocks might be nice. I really like the sound of my CJ Premier 11a. I also recently picked up a used Audio Research VT100MKII. It's a fine sounding amp with good bass authority and over all more neutral sounding than the CJ - which isn't a good or a bad thing. It's a matter of taste. The CJ is a bit sweeter without being too sappy. I kind of like it.

Upscaleaudio is right.
The ARC amp requires closely matched tubes and you have to remove the lid and use a digital voltmeter to set the bias correctly. The CJ Premier amps on the other hand are open chassis designs and bias is independently adjustable for each tube using a built-in LED indicator for each adjustment. It's a more forgiving design and also easier if you enjoy "tube rolling".

Here's me screwing around with the ARC VT100MKII earlier today. I just retubed it replaceing all 16 tubes. Ouch!

http://mycollins.net/audio/vtcj4.html

CJ PREMIER 5's,these are monoblocs using EL34's,amp's are no longer in production,but regardless are wonderfull.having own the CJ11a,12's,ARC vt100 which are all fine amp's,i prefer the sound of the CJ premier 5's.these amp's are difficult to find on the used market,but they are well worth the effort.these amp's hold their own with amp's costing 2 to 3 times their price.RETAIL price when in production $7500 good luck in your search. JOSE M

There's a pair of Aranov's 110W on auction now that would probably sell for $2,500 or so. These are self biasing, simply replace the 6550's with 8- KT88 and the magic begins. I use the Aranovs with a Placette active line stage, SCD-1 and a Rel to fill in the bottom - and the sound is like melted butter.

The Aranov's are not that well known (like SF or CJ) but they sound every so sweet and are a true bargin.

Atma-Sphere M60 MK ll.2