How to pick a tubed integrated without hearing one

I am taking the plunge into tubes. I do not see alot of manufactureres i am familiar with in the classifieds. How do i pick the right one ? I will be driving a small to medium sized bookshelf speaker . Probably a 8ohm model . My room is 11x14 .Should i only stick to names i have seen advertised in mags ? Will all of these have a similar sound/build quality.reliablity ? My budget will be around $1000 (used). Any info on these questions or on something i missed would be appreciated.