Integrated tube amp under $1000 / $2000

Luis,
Consider total cost and your time too IF you are super particular about who you want it to sound, or if you have upgrade-itis. :)  The unexpected and eventual added tube rolling costs many encounter for some of the base model amps that come with generic low grade $ entry level tubes is something to really consider.  A few good designers actually take the extra step to design and/or include decent sounding tubes and coupling caps with their amps new.  That added R&D and years of designer listening time and fine tuning time is totally worth the extra few hundred bucks one might pay for the (better version amp) and a huge time saver, particularly if you put a value on your time. 

Thanks, I agree, my friend is not the always look for the next upgrade type, I mentioned the same thing to him, also asked him to join audiogon and this thread. But I'm also learning from all the postings here, before atmasphere I was considering line magnetic, after attending rmaf, axpona and the Florida audio show I can say my system with the atmas sounds superb, I'm still tweaking a few things, rolling 6sn7s etc. 

Luis,
Which 6SN7s are you rolling through your MA-1s?

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For my rig I settled on Sylvania Black plate 6SN7s for my preamp a while back, but once those let go down the road in a few years, I’ll be revisiting them again, maybe PSVANE MKIIs, or Shuguang,... others as I can’t see more NOS. Seems your buddy could pick up some nice 2nd hand amps or an integrated if its his the first leap into tubes and decide later to step up again, or not. We just put a set of KT88 PSVANEs and 12AX7 PSVANE in a friends used and  now fully upgraded Jolida JD801BRC integrated amp, and surprisingly it's very competitive after all the expensive upgrades were made. 

Which 6SN7s are you rolling through your MA-1s?

@decooney 

So many, mainly on the MP3, I have been using CV181-Z (black treasure Chinese boutique) very nice tubes, good bass and best of all no microphonics. Tried the Psvane CV-181TII, really good sound, one died within the month, something is loose inside and the tube wasn't subjected to mechanical stress or anything. Now NOS tubes, 6SN7GTs I like the Raytheons smoked glass, Sylvania's chrome domes are fine, I don't like contrary to what most people say the 5962's red base RCA's, neither the 6SN7WGT's (wartime class) neither the GTAs or GTBs, to me the best sounding are the GT'sThe MA's i'm using exclusively NOS, Sylvania's chrome domes, rca's, tungsols etc.

and yes the Sylvania's overall are the best from that era, sometimes microphonics could be an issue