$1,000 - What amp?

Well, I have had both the Aragon 8008, 8002 and the a3cr..
driving mirage speakers.. om9s... the A3cr was a nice amp and very musical.. compact size , nice to look at, great binding posts, supposedly class a... but something about it was a little difficult to listen too... I could not put my finger on it. I then bought an Aragon 8002 dual mono for around 700.. What a difference.. Much more airy, better bass by far, tighter, more accurate, gobs of power... needless to say, I know own 2 8002 dual monos, and a pair of Aragon Palladiums.. I was sold.
If you go with the 8002, upgrade the binding posts to a nice pair from cardas... very easy upgrade and cost effective! The 8008 will set you back a little more.. frankly , I like the 8002 better!
Good luck,
Joe
Custom Audio LLC

I am a big fan of the Conrad Johnson MF-2250. Used it can be had for right at $1000 and has all the qualities you require above.

If you can get by with 30 watts the Pass Aleph 3 is an amazing amp at around 900.00 used, one of the biggest bang for the buck out there.

Bryston 3B-ST or Blue Circle BC-22. Maybe reach for a Bryston 4B-ST

I agree the aleph-3 is great!
I had one with 92db speakers and it plays loud,trust me.
No amp mentioned above equals the aleph-3