I would just like to mention the Classe 70. It is warm, musical, very reliable & has a good amount of headroom, but I can't say that it is laid back. I've seen them running around for about $400.
Best used amp for around 500
I'm am desperately trying to upgrade from a Denon AVR-3300 receiver. Looking for a stereo amp for the fronts. I'm entertaining the idea of a five channel amp, but I don't yet have DVD-Audio or SACD, and money is an issue. The receiver is fine for movies, but for music...well, it won't do. I'm currently running Acoustic Energy Aegis 3's for the fronts - silk dome tweets, pretty warm, laid back sound. Any suggestions?