Upgrade path...Need suggestions

Look at this stuff, and read the reviews: (http://www.upscaleaudio.com/view_category.asp?cat=96) There are bound to be some on this site used at some point. Any effort you put into dealing with tubes is worth every moment. That's IF you love the sound of live music!

Oh- And you asked about if tubes are a hassle? These PrimaLuna pieces eliminate the bias adjusting, and even feature a soft-start circuit to enhance your tube life. Power requirements: Your Gallo's aren't extremely efficient. How loudly do you listen to your music? How big is your room? Are you a bass freak? What genre(jazz, classical- philharmonic or chamber, rock, pop, etc.)? If you read all those reviews on the integrateds- you'll get a feel for the results the reviewers got with a variety of speakers and different types of music. That should help you in your search.

Yes- tube amps sound more powerful than a SS amp of the same rating. There are a few theories why this so, but the jury's still out. With your budget it's going to be hard to get into a painless tube amp(or monoblocks) with the power that will feed your needs(I'd say 75+ wpc). If you enjoyed tinkering with electronics: I'd recommend a pair of Dynaco ST-70's strapped mono and upgraded, or a pair of modded Mk IIIs. Probably a lot more than you'd like to tackle, from the way your first post sounded. Honestly: I'd say save a bit more money and then shop the tubed power amp classifieds in here, and the Upscale site. That Bryston can't be too hard to listen to.

Dennis Had(Cary + AES) designs some excellent equipment. I'd have recommended that also, but your budget..... I've owned a pair of Cary SLM-100s(slightly modded) for a while and love them. I'm also bi-amping, and agree that it would be an excellent way to more fully enjoy your music/system. To do it correctly with amps of different power ratings/efficiencies(plays havoc with your freq. response) you'll need an active x-over, or high/low pass filter. I used a Dahlquist DQ-LP1(also modded) from 1981 until 2005. No one designed anything better that I could find. They are still available(but getting rarer do to popularity) for what they cost new(about $325.00). Watch this one:(http://cgi.ebay.com/Dahlquist-DQ-LP1_W0QQitemZ300200447488QQihZ020QQcategoryZ14977QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem) It sells today.