Budget Audiophile Looking For Amplifier Suggestions

McCormack DNA 1 or 125. 

Well... all of those are great... but... why not get a "giant killer" that's new, which will rival any of these, which won't require cap maintenance any time soon, and which will drive most anything...

I've got the ClassDAudio (brand) SDS-470C, which has incredible, "world-class" sound, and which costs less than your budget - but, very hard to better at any price.  You might want to check them out - very little risk.  

Had one of those as well as an odyssey stratos plus, both are solid recomendations.

Meadowman,

Glad to hear very positive comments from another ML fan.

I believe they are some of the best bargains on the used market today.

I currently have 5 pairs(!), Swifts, Ospreys, Kestrel HRs, Kestrel IIs, and Swallows. 

erik,

I'm not a fan of class a amps,  that's why I question the extended class a of the Stratos.  I'm sure it sounds great but I'd like to know how it's implemented.

In the case of each amp suggested above I've scanned google images and articles to get a handle the structure and construction along with the reviews and attributes.

One of the downsides (for me) of a lot of these amps is the lack of available schematics and service manuals.  I like to see how the basic electronic foundation is laid out and know I could repair it myself if necessary.

Along the same lines, the upside is that most of the discrete components they contain are still available.