Intergrateds: Bryston,Creek,Naim,Musical Fidelity

I agree with the Bryston B100SST recommendation but it is priced quite a bit more than the others. I also own a B60 and recently owned the Naim Nait 5i. The B100SST is in another league as far as soundstaging and tranparency. It is also musical as heck, you can really follow the music. Simply the best sounding integrated I have heard. I'd try the Panache if you don't need remote.

The Portal Panache should definitely be on your list considering the sonic traits you mention. The only issue is no remote control. There are plenty of positive reviews listed at ecoustics.com. There is one change made to the amp since those reviews and that is beefed up binding posts, at least the posts on my Panache seem to be very high quality.
Another couple of integrateds to look at in your price range include the Sony (yes Sony) TA-F707ES and it's big brother, TA-F808ES. I have a 707 and believe it to be sonically wonderful piece of gear. You can run it in direct mode to bypass all the gewgaws for pure,clean sound. All the sonic traits you are looking for are there plus excellent build quality. Althought the Sony is the warmest running amp I've owned, it's also the quietest amp I've owned. Find one of these used cheap and keep it for spare. Love those MOSFETs. Good luck with your search and let us know what works for you.

Unison Unico SE is worth considering.

This review pits the Arcam A85 you mentioned against the Portal Panache.

This one mentions the Bryston 4B, as well as Krell and Manley Snapper.

Agree on the Unison Unico recommendation too. Damn fine little hybrid! Has a nice remote too!

Marco

Thanks...new Bryston is out my financial position...does the Portal have any pre-outs?