cyrrix, there is an amp you may be interested in because of it's great sound and low tube cost. It is the Music Reference RM-200 (or RM-200 Mk.2). It produces 100w/ch from only two KT-88's per channel. That much power is not the result of running the tubes hot (which shortens tube life, of course), but rather from the unique design of it's circuit, a creation of the outside-the-box thinker Roger Modjeski.
The RM-200 retailed for $4200---$4500 (depending on year), and the improved Mk.2 is currently around $5000, I believe. They are occasionally available used, about $2000 for the original, $2500-$3000 for the Mk.2. I used the original with an LS16, with which it mated very well, both sonically and electronically (impedance, voltage, etc.).