[Inscrutable]

Mike, you still there?  From your last post, I would agree that either the Belles or the McCormack would be significantly better than any of the recommendations falling in the <500 range.  If you don't want to step up quite that high in price, you might think about a Citation 5.1.  I've had both it and its big brother the 7.1.  They were not embarrassed by amps costing many times their price.  The 5.1 can be found for 500-600 (retailed about 2k) (there's one on Agon for 595 right now, along with two 7.1's).  4 x 100 at 8 ohms, but stable to 2 ohms, and bridgeable to 2 x 300 at 8 ohms, or 2@100 + 1@300.  Built like a tank.

[crossroadazn]

I was looking for an amp around $500 and found the Conrad Johnson Sonographe SA-250 to power the Silverline Audio SR-12 and very happy with it. 

[mca]

Another amp that can be had just out of that range is a Classe CA 100. Never heard one myself, but Classe has a pretty good reputation for sound.

Should be a good step up from Nad, Rotel, Adcom, Parasound and the like.

[TheChairGuy]

My preferred choice under $1000.00 was the Odyssey Khartago stereo unit...it was the only SS amp that passed the 8-10 hour-per-day 'not annoying' listening test for me (my office doubles as my audio room).

That list that didn't pass that test included van Alstine 240ex, Norh (monoblock) Multiamps, some Parasound amp around that price, and an AudioSource Amp3.  The next best was a $249.00 JVC F10 receiver.

I own the Odyssey Khartago Extremus Extraordinaire OTT Klausersized Monoblocks (tongue in cheek  - I don't know what they are called, but they cost about $1700 a pair).  They're just more of the same that the stereo unit is....just with a large does of wretched excess