Ditto on the combination of AI 3A and the McCormack DNA-1 Amp. McCormack's service is some of the best I have ever encountered and you can get the Amp upgraded as your budget allows. The Revision A Gold is a phenomenal upgrade that beats every amp under $15,000 for liquidity, musicality and detail. The AI's main draw back is the lousey service provided by the manufacturer. I have had problems with my 3A (Noise when turning the volume control, noise when turning it off.) After weeks of trying to contact them by phone and getting no responce, I ended up going to a friend of a friend to get the problem fixed. You should be able to get a used DNA-1 or .05 for within your price range. Check out the upgrades at scmaudio.com.