i'd add the odyssey stratos to your short list. it has gotten very good reviews (reviewer's choice by soundstage), and should fall right in your price range. it is a black box design, but it is built like a tank, and quite elegant IMHO. if you call odyssey, they might offer you a special deal. when i was shopping for an amp in this price range about 6 months ago, gunther offered to build me a stratos with the 120,000 cap upgrade for $1025 using B-stock metal (which he said had *very* slight cosmetic defects). i ended up getting a belles 150a hot rod because i found one for a very low price. it, too, is a great amp.
also, there is a marsh a200s that recently came up for sale for under $1000. marsh amps have also been very well received, and i think they are very cool looking.
finally, i'd like to suggest that you look into the norh le amps. they are mono-blocks, and for the price, they are very, very good (~$500 for the pair new). i used them before i got the belles, and they were not far behind in terms of performance. for $1000, you could bi-amp with four mono's. you can get more info at www.norh.com or at www.harmonicdischord.com.
best of luck, and happy listening.
-eric
also, there is a marsh a200s that recently came up for sale for under $1000. marsh amps have also been very well received, and i think they are very cool looking.
finally, i'd like to suggest that you look into the norh le amps. they are mono-blocks, and for the price, they are very, very good (~$500 for the pair new). i used them before i got the belles, and they were not far behind in terms of performance. for $1000, you could bi-amp with four mono's. you can get more info at www.norh.com or at www.harmonicdischord.com.
best of luck, and happy listening.
-eric