There are some really excellent tube integrated amplifiers out there, but not in your budget. The Audio Research VSi60 is wonderful, but $4495.

The one that does come to mind is the Mystere ia11 integrated amp, which Upscale Audio is selling for $1995. That might be a very good choice for what you seem to be after.

Another good one in your price range is the JOLIDA JD302RC, which Needle Doctor has for $1475.

For a turntable, I would strongly recommend the Music Hall MMF-2.2, which is an excellent turntable, and a real deal at under $500 from several online retailers, including Needle Doctor and Music Direct.

For a phono preamp, it is hard to beat the Musical Fidelity V-LPS, which is under $200 and sounds as good as others costing 3 or 4 times that price.

For a set of speakers that wil give good full-range performance, i suggest the Monitor Audio Silver RX-2, which are excellent and have unusual bass capability for a bookshelf/monitor speaker, using an 8-inch main driver. They run either $850, with a choice of wood veneers, or $1000 in piano black gloss.

That system would be a VERY nice-sounding combination that would take you where you want to go.

well david, MY OWN reasons for the music hall mmf 2.2 turntable over the rega is that i have first hand experience with at least one type of rega turntable and also the music hall turntable. i owned a brand new rega rp1 and was dissapointed because it seemed to lack in the bass department. i have since traded that in, with the recommendation of others here, for the music hall mmf 2.2 turntable. wow, what a breath of fresh air. i knew this sound was possible and out there somewhere just from growing up listening to different stereo systems (i'm 37). once you like something it's hard to move on to something else, not knowing if that something else will be better sounding than what you've got. i, for one, can state that the music hall turntable IS better sounding than at least the rega rp1.