I looked up these "mono block tube amps" and didn\'t see one for less then $2K.
it really depends on what company and new v. used.
If you are ever in the market for great used gear
http://www.audiogon.com is the "ebay" for really high end audio EQ.
You can do searches by zip code which is nice since a lot of the stuff is extremely heavy and a lot are for local pick up do to shipping fees etc.
But you can get killer huge sound for not that much. You just have to do your homework and be patient (says the guy who is the biggest impulse buyer). And mono block tubes are sweet but there are tons of other solutions. Soild state is nice and most folks like a blend of solid state and tubes. But as with everything it is all very subjective
If you have a good credit card it is very easy to "audition" these types of things and if you don\'t like the sound etc simply sell them. Really quality audio EQ tends to keep its value very well, some even increase in price. So buying and reselling is pretty common. Also high end audio outlets will usually allow you to bring in your own music to test EQ and some will allow you to bring it home and test drive it for a while. They cannot really ask you to plunk down mad loot and not know what your getting
