Best amp s for 11x14 room under $4000 new/used ?

Hi All,

After getting some great help on the Speakers forum to decide what's best for my 11x14 living room that opens into a kitchen, I've tentatively decided to go with a pair of Ohm 1000s. Now, I'm looking for the perfect amp to drive them.

My ideal sound is a warm, weighty, lush, yet neutral, high-end vinyl kind of sound that's also refined with plenty of inner detail (looking to achieve that with digital sources, ultimately). My ears are also extremely susceptible to fatigue at the high end, which, for example, in my experience has ruled out KT88-driven tube amps from McIntosh, whose rich detail and refinement I otherwise love. I also love the warm, weighty sound of McIntosh solid-state, which seems unique in its beefiness. Still, I wish I could get that without the seeming darkness and relative lack of detail.

I've auditioned Naim and Linn (a nice lushness for ss), Ayre Ax-7e (impressively accurate but maybe a little cold), Luxman 505, 550 and 509 (increasingly impressive, but at a steep price), Krell 400xi (a little rough-edged), Audio Research (high-end fatigue from both the tube and ss models). I've been especially impressed by the sound of Shindo and Leben SET gear, but the former is way out of my range, and in any case I hesitate with even a relatively practical model like the integrated Leben CS600 because I'll need to use this amp for home theater about half the time.

That has left me focused on a couple of possibilities that I haven't yet been able to audition. One of them is the BAT VK-300x, or one of its two hybrid tubed models, which I have asked about in another thread.

Another is the Blue Circle line of integrateds, which I'm told specialize in extreme clarity and neutrality that's nevertheless somewhat warm, musical and not overly analytical, toeing the line between a tube and solid-state sound in search of a "live" kind of sound. They also appear to be a great match for the Ohms. I'm seriously contemplating shelling out for one of these new - the relatively recent Katlas model, for example. But I must admit I'm startled to find myself considering paying $4000 for a brand-new amp that I've never heard and have no means to audition beforehand.

I'd love to hear people's thoughts on whether I'm crazy, whether Blue Circle is really all that, and what all else I might want to consider, given my above-stated sonic preferences, in the $4000-and-under range (way under, down to about $2000 used, sounds great, too...).

In the near term, my idea is to stream lossless files via an Airport Express to this amp, with an investment in a high-quality DAC coming later. I should add that key tests any unit would have to pass include The Who's "Live at Leeds," John Coltrane's "Impressions," and Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring."

Thanks!