Tube amps under $7500

@hickamore There's a good thread about it, here.

Point to point wiring and really good transformers. No money spent on advertising or marketing. Everything goes into the amps.

Most agree that Quicksilver is an excellent value. 

Raven Audio all the way! Their tube amps and selection of NOS tubes are second to none. I wrote a full review on my journey to find the best tube amp here (spoiler alert: Raven Audio blows Prima Luna and McIntosh out of the water). 

If your speakers are 88+db, the Black Hawk has more than enough power and sounds fantastic. If you want a little more head room, go with the Osprey (which is the one I have and love). 

Either option comes in below your price point and ships with NOS tubes that can be tweaked/upgraded to your liking. 

Good luck!

@hilde45 Checked out the Quicksilver and it seems quite the value with legions of enthusiastic fans. I trust their judgment but unfortunately it does not come in silver, has no balanced input, and requires frequent re-biasing. Given those limitations, I have narrowed the search to about three serious contenders and am seeking the best deal within my price range. With different upstream components, different cosmetic requirements, and more enthusiasm for tweaking, it might be another story. Ultimate question to be answered is whether or not I find a tube amp essential for my main system.

@hickamore I hear you on the multiple requirements. Good luck with your search. There are many good tube amps out there and I hope you update us with what fits the bill for you. If it were me, I might go for Linear Tube Audio stuff. They have warmth and punch.

I understand the cosmetic requirement.  But, why insist on balanced connection?  If it is that important, you would be limited to truly balanced tube topology and I would bet that is pretty limited (like Balanced Audio Technology).  Otherwise, even if your sources are only balanced out (very doubtful), you can use an adaptor.

Also, you say you have limited the field to three choices.  If you tell us what the three are, you can get some opinions on them.  For my own personal taste, I hope they do not include Primaluna or modern McIntosh.