Best bargain integrated amp?

Bought a NAD C352 recently (80 watts a side) to replace an 11 year old NAD 310 (20 watts a side)...spent under $500 new and huge bang for the buck..not much on looks but competes with much costlier pieces.

Okay, so I'm selling one, and take this for what it's worth...

But, the MD-208 receiver from Magnum Dynalab is one of the best buys for a medium priced system. You save money (and issues) on interconnects. You get a world-class tuner. And the amp is no slouch -- it's easily somewhere between the current Sim 5i and 3i. The sound is (yes) tube-like and feels very even and natural. I've seen it paired with $4k+ speakers (my situation, in fact) and it was a perfect match.

If I had to have just one medium-priced system, it would revolve around this piece. The fact is, I have two other very expensive systems...so, there you have it.

Marantz PM 7200.

Onkyo tx-lr552. It's a 6.1 digital discreet for only $200 on the web. Sounds smooth like an upscale piece.

I second the nomination for Naim Nait 5i. There are so many nice integrateds out these days, from budget to high-end, I doubt any one can claim to have compared them all. But I've sampled enough to say the Nait is very fine, punches above its weight, and stands up well to far more expensive kit.
I've had mine for about 6 months. It continues to please and even surprise. It offers such a good balance across the range of musical attributes that you tend to just enjoy without missing any 'ultimates' that may available higher up the food chain, so to speak.
The music comes through free of any tendency to harshness or undue brightness, with good pace, rhythm and a slight warmth or richness without loss of clarity.

Some limits on versatility though, in terms of adaptibility to headphones for example.

You may be able to stretch your budget just a little for a used one, or perhaps the previous model Nait 5 may serve.