best sub $1000 amp to mate with tube preamp

I agree with Csericks (Customer Service Engineer Ricks?) and Tvad. Assuming what ever you'll be looking at will be used, it's difficult to better the sonic virtues of class D amplifiers at this price point. I drove my 4ohm, 87dB sens. Avalon Eidolons with a PS Audio HCA-2 with ease.

On the linear amp side for $1100-1400 I would suggest the Ayre V-3 for its ability to dive difficult loads and its wonderful presentation.

Can't speak for the other suggestions, but the tube pre(TAD 150) & McCormack DNA-1 deluxe sounds sweet to my ears...running 86dB speakers with no effort, nor needing anythng over 10 o'clock on the volume knob.

I don't know about best, but, the c-j solid state amps have a fairly high input impedance, are not overly sensitive (so they don't pick up and amplifiy a lot of noise) and are designed from the get go to work with their own well regarded tube pre's. Some, but, not all of the McCormack amps have similar qualities.

head is hurting but waded through numerous reviews for ps audio. reviewers likem,customers likem, yet there are many for sale and sounded like they have been discontinued. in regards to mccormack, the topology sounded very similar to parasound except for the "distributed node amp" part. seems a little more love for the original dna's but they are 15 years old. right now the ps audio is in the lead spot, van alstines rhetoric woos me, and parasounds design seems solid but not hearing much love. thanks for the comments thus far, what a great hobby

Are you having fun researching and deciding, or would you have more fun listening? If the answer is listening, then buy a used version of whichever amplifier is presently at the top of your list and listen to it in your system. If you love it, then you've succeeded on the first try. If your opinion is mixed, then sell it and buy the next on the list. Reading and researching is only part of the education. The largest part of the education is listening. Only by listening will you discover what you prefer, and your preference will likely not correlate with at least three quarters of the opinions of us numbskulls offering suggestions. That's the beauty of this hobby.

There are a few excellent options offered in this thread. Pick one. Write the check, and start on down the road...