What's the solid state amp to buy $2500?

also not sure what you are looking to improve upon from the Joule amps BUT I would think a used set of Herron monos would be in that price range

As noted above, the Parasound A21. It may be the best amp in that price range AND beats a lot of more expensive amps.

The Joules are a bit too lush for me these days. I'm looking for something more dynamic. Been playing guitar a lot so I'm wanting a tiny bit more of a studio sound. Just leaning over to that side some, although maybe some ATC Active Speakers are in my long term future.

This one Liberty Audio B2B-100

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Peter

Bel Canto ref150s stereo or ref500m monos, or any Jeff Roland that might come up under budget. Wyred4Sound another good option. These are all Class D amplifiers.

A real bargain for tube like sound in a SS design is Tube Audio Design Hibachi monoblocks. That will leave a lot of change to play with if you can find a pair.