Good budget tube amp?

Your Totems are good speakers but they are not a very easy load to drive. 87 DB @ 4 ohms. Most tube integrated amps are rated around 30 watts. They give you good value for money, seeing that you wanted to stay around 1k. The rogue cronus is most likely powerful enough at 55 watts but I still think it is not the best. When I think of totem I think of solid state type of sound. A bit lean, a bit bright sounding on top. They like a lot of juice to get them going to sound their best. Magnepan and Theil speakers are other such speakers I tend to think of when I think of solid state amps. They need a lot of current.Then there are speakers that sound best with tubes. The electrical load is better suited for tubes. Usually 8 ohms nominal and/or at least higher sensitivity 90DB or higher. I have a 30 watt tube integrated and I use Proac speakers and JM Reynaud speakers. Both found use a little more watts but are an easy enough load for my amp. Speakers that are great for tube amps usually excel in the midrange, perhaps have a warmer and less lean balance then you totems. Speakers such as Joseph Audio, Zu, Tekton, Devore, are good matches for tubes.
The bottom line is, if your get the Rogue, you can use it with your Totems. After sometime you may want to explore different speakers. You will notice a difference.
You can always buy a high powered tube amp that will drive just about anything. But if you want to stay within your budget then a lower powered tube amp and higher efficient speakers are the way to go. There are many that would say this is the only way to go. This is a bit of a ramble but I hope it helps some. :)

Please, by all means ramble as much as you'd like, because I am eager to learn about tube amps. I've been reading as much as I can lately about them. In addition to the Totems, I also have a pair of B&W CM7's that I use for TV-system. Since they're 8 ohms and higher efficiency, would you say they would be a better candidate to match with tubes? I know people have reservations about B&W, myself included, but for some reason the CM7's sounded particularly nice to me. Either way, I'm sure that I will eventually upgrade my speakers as well.

In regards to the amp, I am seriously considering putting together my own from a kit--so far I've only seen kits from Bob Latino, but are there any other noteworthy places to get kits that are worth comparing?. I'd like to take advantage of any potential good deals that pop up on here or ebay, but it's hard to pull the trigger on an amp that I've never heard solely based on faith, and it's hard for me to evaluate the condition/quality of specific listings of old tube amps since I don't have the experience. I can't find anywhere to audition these either, as much as I'd like to listen to them. My only source of reference are new tube amps that I hear in local audio stores selling for much higher prices. The places near me carry brands like Rogue Audio, Rogers, PrimaLuna & McIntosh. I imagine I'd learn a lot by putting together my own as well. However, since I still want the best bang for my buck, I would still just buy a complete amp if it were a much better deal. What do you think? There is still the worry that I don't know exactly what the finished product will sound like. So, how would you describe the sound characteristics/overall quality I can expect from the Dynaco amps versus something I might hear at the store? Also, what about other brands like Jolida? The Chinese Yaqin amps?

TRY THE JOLIDA .NET WEBSITE AND CHECK OUT THEIR MAIL ORDER. THEY ARE SELLING THEM EVEN CHEAPER THAN THE LISTED PRICES WITH FREE SHIPPING. I GOT THE 100WPC INTEGRATED TUBE AMP WHICH RETAILS FOR 2400 IN THE US FOR 1390. TOOK 5 DAYS TO RECIEVE.GREAT PRODUCT AND THEY TAKE PAYPAL

Rossbernstein, the three main sources for Dynaco kits are Triode Electronics, Bob Latino, and Dynakit Parts. All of them are a different implementation, and as such, will sound unique.

I also own a Dynaco ST80, but not the more ubiquitous solid state product with that moniker. It's the rare tube version from the early 1990s that was a redo of the ST70, addressing the myriad criticisms of the original. It features a regulated solid state power supply with much more capacity, driver section using 12AT7 and 6922 tubes in Mullard long tail pair configuration (like the VTA/Latino, KTA, etc. upgrades), individual biasing of the four output tubes with two color (green = low, red = high, out = OK) LEDs, and triode/ultralinear switch.

But, I think it's good to begin (and, possibly end?) one's journey with the original, so I recommended the version from Dynakit Parts, as it is the true Dynaco ST70, updated with modern parts and a bit larger power supply capacitor can. While it does not possess the power of larger tube amplifiers with more output tubes, and there is a looseness in the low frequencies (there are a few simple/easy tweaks for this), I find a certain beguiling purity of sound, along with an astounding degree of resolution, detail, and overall refinement. One thing about the ST70, presuming you don't partner it with a speaker that pushes it out of its comfort zone, it's just an incredibly pleasant and easy to listen to amplifier, and you can stay up with it long into the night. It seems equally happy with rock, jazz, or classical music, and does proper justice to all three. I own amplifiers that cost a whole lot more ($5K - $15K) than my ST70, but I'm more happy listening to it than most of them; I think that's the biggest compliment I can pay it.

The point I made about new products using the classic designs directly applies to most of the Chinese tube amplifiers. For several years, I was the importer for one of the largest Chinese high-end audio companies, so I have some background and opinion there. They normally employ the Mullard long tail pair driver stage with an ultralinear (sometimes, with switch for triode operation as well) connection output section. They usually sound nice enough, but apart from one or two companies, for several reasons, the vast majority of these amplifiers have exceptionally poor resale value.

Also, I wouldn't be in a rush to move away from your Totems, and I certainly wouldn't sell them before coming into the tube amplifier. You might find the combination makes you happy. That doesn't mean I think they're the friendliest match, but I'd at least give it a chance.

Mezzanine, while I've not spent a lot of time with the Granite integrated, I owned the monoblocks as well as the tube output CD player. They were incredibly nice components, always made me happy, and Don Hoglund was a terrific guy to deal with.

I run a Cronus and CM7s, the Cronus calmed the treble and I'm pleased.