Hello, from S. County.
I had an AU9500 I got for $20.00 from a thrift, I was just floored when I hooked it up and heard how good it sounded. I later sold it cheap to a friend who is into music but didn't have much money. The knobs were like from test gear, they just don't build like that any more.
Home Theatre Designs in Lake St. Louis carries KEF now in our area. Also, Revel Concerto is reasonable, he also has some higher end like KEF Ref 5's and Salon 2.
I can steer you to good pricing on Golden Ear as well, just PM if interested.
You may want to check out Gateway Audio Society (GAS) if you haven't yet.