A decent integrated amp under 2K ...

@metaldetektor : the Moonriver is quite a nice unit but it's about twice my budget... and it will never be available used in Canada...

@gwangler15 : I've been thinking about modifying the circuit in order to shut down the phono stage... but this is tricky and may not be faisable...

@rocket94 : according to what I read, it wouldn't be a good match... my Altec needs to be tame down, not the opposite...

@theforerunner : I've checked on the used market and there are quite a few on sale here in Canada, which is always suspicious... not sure it'd be a good match... critics say it's a rivealing amp but my Altec are already quite revealing...

Is it hard to buy in the US and ship to Canada? Expensive? I would have thought otherwise. I dunno though. 

@mofojo : most US sellers will not ship to Canada due to additional border hassles. I can buy from an American manufacturer (like Power Module) but I will have to pay 15% tax on arrival ... If I order a device not made in North America (Mexico / US / Canada) then I have to also pay import duty, which can greatly increase the price ...

@alaindexe,

Hi, Al:

Yes! The JBL 4435’s are amazing speakers, they have great bass and transient response and very low distortion and have a better low midrange then the 4430’s which I previously owned. The 4430 and 4435 are very coherent speakers. When the 4435’s are actively BI-AMPED, they sound even better. I use them for home HI-FI listening, Great imaging and sound stage. I also have a pair of JBL 4425’s that are nice little speakers. FWIW, Valveglow did a nice review on the 4435’s.

@gwangler15 : I just wrote to Glen to find out if it was possible to use the device without the tubes dedicated to the phono stage or to put a switch to turn them on and off whenever required ... I'll let you kwow what his answers is... thx for suggesting me to get in touch with him ...