Best value in integrated amps at a moderate price?

at a very powerful 18 watts, my Audio Note Soro SE is easily the best $1300 I ever spent and another excellent choice would be a Manley Stingray with 50 watts.

I would rather have the sound quality over power and do not think you will get both at a moderate price - whatever that means to you, to me it means about $2000 or less

If I were buying an integrated, I'd look at the Portal Panache and the Plinius line.

Rogue Cronus 55 Wpc $1795
Vandersteen 2Ce Signatures $1600

Accuracy, detail, imaging, extension.

PhilNYC,

Again, it depends on the speakers he will be pairing it up with. I would personally take 50-70 BC, YBA, SIM watts over 100-150 Rega, Parasound, etc.

Baroque_lover,

Yep, no doubt which speakers he chooses will have an impact on the amp he chooses. But I do think that the Blue Circle NSCS is a significantly better integrated than the CS...