Dave,
I'm going to assume since you're switching from a receiver you might not want to jump right into tubes, but there are some fine recommendations for tube stuff above.
In terms of solid state, you could have one helluva good start with an Adcom GFA-750 preamp(around $1200 new) and a used McCormack DNA-0.5 Rev. A amp(around $1500) and still have some cash left over for decent interconnects. If no 0.5 Rev. As are available(or if you don't want to buy used stuff) you could buy a new McCormack DNA-125 and still be close to your budget. Another amp option would be the Odyssey Stratos that should work well and only set you back $1000 mail order direct(and you can upgrade to monoblocks later if you want).
The McCormack amp should work well with a passive preamp, and if you're open to that route you should definitely check out the Placette passive unit(the one with 3 inputs). Any combination of these amps and preamps will deliver a huge performance boost from a receiver and meet your budget. Best of luck.
Tim
I'm going to assume since you're switching from a receiver you might not want to jump right into tubes, but there are some fine recommendations for tube stuff above.
In terms of solid state, you could have one helluva good start with an Adcom GFA-750 preamp(around $1200 new) and a used McCormack DNA-0.5 Rev. A amp(around $1500) and still have some cash left over for decent interconnects. If no 0.5 Rev. As are available(or if you don't want to buy used stuff) you could buy a new McCormack DNA-125 and still be close to your budget. Another amp option would be the Odyssey Stratos that should work well and only set you back $1000 mail order direct(and you can upgrade to monoblocks later if you want).
The McCormack amp should work well with a passive preamp, and if you're open to that route you should definitely check out the Placette passive unit(the one with 3 inputs). Any combination of these amps and preamps will deliver a huge performance boost from a receiver and meet your budget. Best of luck.
Tim