Tim, I have been on the McIntosh kick lately so I would say a nice tube pre-amp with a McIntosh solid state amp. Tons of options out there for model numbers, get in touch if you want to talk specifics. There are so many choices out there for tube pre-amps but I would say an Audible Illusions M3 can be found for less than $1,000 on Agon. Then I would add a nice solid state amp, sticking with my Mac suggestion you could find a nice MC 2105 or 2155 for about $1,000 on Agon as well. Couldn't beat that combo with a stick honestly. If McIntosh isn't your cup of tea even though they have awesome resale value you could find any number of classic solid state amps to work with the Audible pre-amp (a classic in its own right!) such as DNA-1, BAT VK200, Classe, Bryston, the list goes on & on.