THE MOST WANTED VINTAGE STEREO AMPLIFIERS EVER MADE
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ต.ค. 2024
- The MOST WANTED Vintage HiFi Amplifiers!
Store - AllEliteAudio.com
/ lenny.florentine
This FREE GUIDE can save you hundreds or thousands when buying vintage audio...
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My Essential Vintage HiFi Tools
Clean your knobs, switches, and pots with...
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Clean Faders & Sliders with...
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My Essential Vintage HiFi Accessories
Add banana plug terminals to your receiver...
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Another option for small speaker terminals...
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My Favorite Banana Plugs
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Switch Between Multiple Amps & Speakers
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/ @lennyflorentine
I absolutely love your audio history lessons.i bought my first system in 1975 and your videos bring back some great memories. Thanks for the hard work!
Glad you like them! Always trying to bring back those memories!
If your Channel was on National TV Lenny, it would win major awards! You do not know how great you are as a presenter and HI FI dealer! Absolutely fantastic series of vintage Hi Fi!
Thanks so much that’s such a great compliment! Would love a tv show!
@@LennyFlorentine Absolute pleasure Sir! I love the Channel so much! You are very talented!
I loved all the vintage receivers back in the day. I had a Marantz 140 and 3200 pre I loved. I now have two McIntosh but my fav is my MC2155.
I still have my Yamaha M-80 power amp, and it has faithfully given me decades of use. With 250 watts of clean punchy power, and some of the most gorgeous meters of the 80’s, the Yamaha M-80 is a vintage amp that can’t be beat!!
Very nice, do you have matching components?
@@LennyFlorentine sadly no. My Yamaha preamp died years ago. But the M-80 is still going strong!
Is it 4 or 8 ohm? My 87 model Kenwood was bad about clipping at the 1 o’clock position with the factory speakers and even at 4 channels with the Cerwin-Vegas it still clipped. I tried using the eq to see where it started but I think it just lacked the power. I want a do over with my Phase Linear( Carver) . Those two speaker cabs I built like a bass amp with the HMTs were the best I ever had. Though a line level 3 rd Sub channel for a 500 watt self powered sub would be great 👍
My favorite vintage components are the Accuphase P-300, C-200 and the T-100. The Accuphase E-202 is a great integrated amplifier.
While not quite vintage(though the early 90s when they came out was 30 yrs ago)I will forever have a soft spot for Jolida Tube amps. My first amp I bought with my own money(on layaway)was a Jolida 202a. I still have it and it's still a great sounding piece. They are currently doing business under the name Black Ice Audio and I can't wait to get one of those in the house.
I have a Hafler XL280 power amp and absolutely love it! Talk about buttery smooth, warm and "tube-like". If you like vintage speakers, it matches well with JBL, Polk audio, ADS, Advent, Altec Lansing, Klipsch and many other American speakers.
My Dad used to swear by his Harman Kardon Citation 19. 100W in to 8 Ohms per side. Was basically 2 single channel amps in a box. Each channel had its own discrete power supply. It also weighed like 60 lbs or so. He used to work part time at a stereo shop and they cooked it on a test bench and got 144W per channel at 8 and could get well over 300w and be stable bridged into 2 ohms.
He used a Nakamichi pre amp, which I have, but is in rough shape... I also have a set of HPM-100s but they are also in rough shape :(
Great video, love my Marantz 2270
Good choice!
Kenwood KA-9100 is my favorite vintage amplifier, it is my first "big power," home amplifier. My Adcom GFA-5400 I think is vintage now and I have a Decware SE34I.6 that is built like a vintage tube amplifier.
I miss my Kenwood KA87 system it was Amp, EQ, Changer, Tuner, and a Double Cassette I could record a double track guitar mix on, and I just replaced the Speakers in the original Cabinets. For a solid state that clipped out at 8 ohms at 1 o’clock. I still wish I had it though because I could have put 4 ohm caps on, and my Cerwin- Vega were rated for 4 ohms and 8 ohms with a dip switch by popping out the speaker connections.
I want another 5 channel system with just a CD changer and Turntable at 100w per 2 channel or 70x4 at 4 ohms and a line level for a powered sub. If anyone has such a beast laying around and wants to sell please let me know here. Thanks. I have some medical issues to fix, but I need a straight forward little system like that for my mental health.
My ultra rare Accuphase M100 monoblocks are just 🔥 from 1985 with massive VU metres, 500W into 8ohms and that sweet warm Accuphase sound! Perfect to power my hungry B&W 801 Matrix S2.
Altec 9440a is new to the stable, the amp that Altec recommended in the 1970s for the A7, A5 and A19 (my current primary speaker).
I have a Onkyo m502/504 set up. great sound and really puts out the power.. also have a smaller adcom amp/preamp.. the amp is 50watts rms and sounds great also.
No mention of the Sansui BA5000? And, I've always understood it to be the preamp that provides the greatest change in a system's sound. Power amps provide the dynamics, but preamps control the color or sound overall.
Speakers have more of an impact on a systems sound that anything.
I bought a Sansui ba3000 from the Goodwill for $16. It was mint. What an amplifier.
That's a cool story. Congratulations!
Wow what a deal!!
Nice buy!! I had something similar, I came a cross a Sansui System that consisted of the BA/CA 2000 series with a TU-9900 tuner and it all fed into a set of SP-X11000 speakers. Great sounding unit, love the color and perspective Sansui presents.
That's cool. And almost as good as the brand new in the box Sansui BA 5000 that I got handed to me for free....lol
I could have watched this one for an hour! Being in this "nutcase" hobby over 50 years, you hit the nail on the head. If a person has either power hungry, or even tricker revealing speakers amplifiers make a huge difference. My first high power amp was for a cult speaker known as the Dahlquist dq-10 these needed enormous amount of power. An audiophile friend (Chris hope you are doing well) sold me my first big amp A Sound craftsman 375 wpc and the clip light would flash quite a bit when the speakers were sounding great. Have had several of Mr. Carver's amps love them all. One you missed is the Luxman M-4000 truly a magnificent amplifier. Love your content. Oh the reveling speakers I own are Altec Model-19's.
I could have gone on for an hour!
Thanks, Crown Straight line 2 series of components. SAE made some cool stuff also. Both made in the USA.
Yeah USA Crown was powerful stuff!
I had a Spec 4. I sold it when I upgraded to Krell monoblocks. (KMA-160s)
Nice! You enjoy the Krell?
Sorry Lenny, most of these are kinda meh amps, the Mac is fine, the other one that never gets mentioned is the Crown M600, a much bigger player for sound reinforcement. Phase was kinda mid fi, the later magnetic field amps with his name on them are junk. I would consider the early Sony and Yamaha Vfet amps more desirable than the Pioneer stuff. You leave out many of the early stuff that sound better, HK Citation, Crown, SAE, Accuphase. Guess its all opinion, but I was there and know what the pecking order was at the time.
love hearing the other options! Thanks for sharing for sure! Would love this kinda response from everyone!
I will agree with you .Some amps were so reliable and durable .And some of the receivers were insane .I am happy with what I have now but my wallet doesn't like it
I have a Pioneer SPEC 2 (also matching SPEC 1 pre-amp)
Onkyo M-5090 (also P-306 pre-amp)
3 Proton D-1200’s. 2 are bridgeable, 1 non.
Yamaha M-600U
2 Denon POA-2200’s. Need work.
Also not an amp, but, a Sansui G-9700.
Pioneer SX-3900
And a bunch of Sony ES components
I DO MISS the 2 Adcom GFA-555II’s I had back in the mid 90’s. Bridged to a pair of Polk Audio SDA-1C’s. Those would be awesome powering the Polk SDA-SRS 2.3TL’s I recently acquired. I do plan on using the 2 Proton D-1200’s bridged. Eventually.
Thanks for sharing! All great stuff, love the ES components!
The Sansui AU 111 feels like a unique and tempting machine to own. Now I've never listened to one, but surely part of the charm is owning something rare and old?
Loved our Phase Linear 400 and matching preamp.
I sought out to buy whatever McIntosh power amp I could afford, so last year I bought a MC202 for $1700 from the local used hi-fi shop.
Sacrilege!
The 80s Sony ES stuff hit its Zenith ( c-watt eye dun thor)
with the TA-N77ES AMP along with the "black wall of buttons" look that their woody components made.
The N80ES signaled the end of and era when aesthetics no longer mattered.
"Good on the inside" is not enough!!
I've had several going back to the late 70's when I started my hi-fi journey. I'm partial to and still own a Sansui AU-11000A and TU-9900 tuner; from the Professional Series '75 -'78, both fully restored. I also still have my Pioneer SA-8500 II and TX-8500 II tuner; also both fully restored. Collectively, they all sound amazing, but my ears prefer the Sansui set...then the Pioneers on rotation :)
As always Kenwood gets no respect, the Supreme 700T/700C/700M stack is amazing. The later 1970s L07 and L-09 power amplifiers are highly underrated too.
Two Amps worth having...
Technics SE-A1 and Carver M500T
I have noticed that vintage stereo equipment is much like vintage cars.$$$$. Oh, well. Enjoy your channel! We can all dream!
Thanks! Yes going up like vintage cars, what's in your system?
There's nothing like what I have seen in your store. A music hallmmf-2.2 turntable, a Panasonic DP-UB820 Ultra Blu-ray, FURMAN M-80x power conditioner, a Yamaha AVENTAGE surround sound receiver, a Zen phono amp, 2 Infinity IL40s, 4 Infinity IL30s, 1 Infinity IL36C, 1 Infinity IL100 subwoofer, 1 SVS SB-4000 subwoofer. Viewing pleasure is an old LG OLED65B9PUA. This is my primary system for now.
I'm happy with my H.H. Scott Stereomaster 299B
It pairs nicely with my 20 year old Kenwood tapedeck and ancient Polk Audio speakers..
How about the Luxman 5M21 from the Laboratory Reference Series?
Thank you for choosing the Onkyo M - 504. Mine is running perfectly
Had mine over 20 years, it works perfectly. I'm using it to power magnepan mmg's.
The King: Heath AA-1640 with optional meters. No contest.
My Yamaha MX-1. I've heard it's nicknamed the whale. To me it's just perfect! I bought a recap kit for it that l may use someday. I currently run it with a Rotel RC-1070. Maybe not the best out there, but like it's simplistic look.
I don't know why, but, im kind of partial to pioneer, Akai,Marantz. I love those brands. I would love to have a complete system.
Carver did it best.
Good ol Bob! Do you have Carver?
@@LennyFlorentine I used to in my younger days. My wife said that the power made her sick. I had a pair of Heil Air Motion transformers with 15” Bass Guitar Amp speakers and a semi passive radiator in each cabinet with a 50 Watt line level boost in a box in the back of the cabinet. You could feel the floor moving. The HMT was so realistic you would think you were hearing voices in your head. Those were the days! I got kicked out of three apts before I got married and she said it gave her migraines. I wish I still had it. I’m trying to find a 3 channel Reciever that has 2 100 wt channels and a line level feed for a powered Sub, or a 5channel for 4 speakers and a powered Sub. I have 2 Cerwin- Vega book shelf and two Pioneer cabinets that I have replaced all of the speakers in. 50x4 at 4 ohms and a powered Sub would be great. I have been looking for a used Onkyo with 5 outs . But that Carver with the speakers I had were the top!
For me the one amp I've always lusted over has to be the Marantz model 9 mono amplifier. I've always been a fan of the Threshold Stasis amplifiers as well.
The headroom on these amps make modern mastering seem.... MID 😎🍻🤘
Crazy OCD Lenny. back in the 70s I would have taken a phase linear over the pioneer. Maybe that's why pioneer bought phase linear great video is always
Oh wow really? Why's that?
@@LennyFlorentine they were ahead in the power wars with 200 to 300 watt amplifiers and they were clean lots. And I believe that pioneer bought phase linear
My Pioneer A-80 has been awesome since I purchased it new in 1985 while deployed to Italy. Still sounds good.
Hafler anyone?
Yes 500 I have that too,
Hafler was legit
The little Hafler dh120 has the classic Dynaco tube amp sound in spades. Even somewhat more than its bigger brethren.
@@clemmtec9506 The 500 is a beast!
Soundcraftsmen RA7502!
Nice!
Kenwood basic m1d still going strong!!!
Nice! How long have you had it?
I bought a Kenwood system in 1987, just K-A amp, C cassette, 87 for each component. I thought it was just a cheap thing and donated it and went digital and what a disappointment. I started in the 70s with the Kenwood TK systems and thought well they are analog and you couldn’t find records. I have wandered in the wilderness. I am blind and disabled now and I wouldn’t know where to begin. I just have a small Yamaha receiver/ CD player that is tiny hooked to a a set of bookshelf Cerwin- Vega speakers. A sound bar with a tiny sub, it is hooked to my TV and sounds good like a 70s Curtis Mathes Console TV did. But I really want a good system again, but My wife gets sick at certain frequencies and my granddaughter is all for it but she is a singer with perfect pitch, and I don’t want to disturb her vestibular system.
@@LennyFlorentine I'm the original owner
I love the Kenwood Basic series. I have collected the M2, M2A, M1, C1, and C2.
I really miss my Kenwood vintage stereo. I had a TK -40, a TK -140X, and the K87 combo . It would clip out at 1 o’ clock on the dial, but man it sounded good for an 1987. The early analog ones were really good, but Carver’s Phase Linear was the best with my home built cabinets with a 15 inch bass amp speaker and 2 passive radiators one on each side and a Hiel Air Motion Transformer on the two cabinets. I got kicked out of a couple of apts , then got married and had to sell it all because it made my wife sick and gave her migraines.
I am surprised you didn't mention SAE amplifiers! I have 6 of them, including a rare Clare Brothers 2600.
I own the onkyo m504 and will never sell it
True
Only thing missing from this video is Nakamichi.
Yes. I still have a Stasis amp from them designed by Nelson Pass. They sound amazing!
My favorite amplifier is the Kenwood 700M in combination with the 700C and 700 T.
I current have Sansui 9010, which do you think I can upgrade next to see great improvement. .... and how much?
Thanks
what about the Mark Levinson no.23?
Levinsons are nice! Have you heard it?
@@LennyFlorentine I have, but on a demo system in at Lyric HiFi on Manhattan many years ago. But I did have Proceed components (made by Mark Levinson) for my system with Maggies 3.5's (many years ago). amazing sound.
My Yamaha CR-2020 is my favorite so far!
Once had the Marantz 500. Sold it, big mistake...
For me, it’s the sx-6000 from pioneer. It’s low wattage but it packs a PUNCH
Oh yeah nice one, do you have it?
NAD 3120. The little integrated amplifier that could... thanks to an overdesigned power supply circuit that made it a dynamic range beast.
P.S. Yes, I know it is a slightly newer amp, but a classic nonetheless.
So you buy stuff because it matches. Just get a fidget spinner dude. A high end audio review from a guy who likes stuff to match. Thanks. DNR.
Got the Onkyo Integra 506RS, preamp, eq, cd, tape. Lafayette tube tuner. (Integra tuner is too expensive). Looks cool at night!
Okay Fellows,,, I've got a two part comment/question that I sure hope can be answered. Being an Old time Rock'n Roller and Stereo Buff to boot, I'm always dumbfounded because your omission of my favorite power amp brand Hafler, ( I only wished I could find a kit that was all there and I might afford)! And Two, I know you're too young but you just might heard this being around audio fanatics quite a bit. I definitely remember reading sales brochures back in the latter 80's where Sony was manufacturing audio components with the same model number but one was built with much better specs, (and priced likewise). Even touted better built enclosures?
You missed the Marantz DC300…
What is all this nonsense for high watts amps. I have vintage Quad 57 speakers which can be driven with 15 watts per channel, preferably tube type. I hate rack audio systems, it’s for looks only of mid-fi junk. You totally omitted best audio ever made by Saul Marantz, from model 2 to 10b tuner.
This guy should have his channel revoked,
The MC 2300 and Sansui BA5000 ruled the era , Pioneer spec series was the Beta to those Alpha’s ..!
To not even mention Sansui is Criminal ..!
You forgot the Sansui AU and BA series amps. They have legendary transformers built into them
I have a Bose 1801 amplifier stealing space in a garage. What’s it worth and where do I find buyers in 2024?
Carver made some nice amplifiers in the mid-1980s, as did Yamaha. They both have a fan base. The Carver M-500t has huge analog power meters. The Yamaha M-85 amp, matched with a C-85 preamp and T-85 tuner was a great combo from 1986. I have a T-85, which is one of the better DXing tuners from that era.
ANY MCINTOSH AMP. I STILL HAVE MY 1974 MA6100 INTEGRATED AMP. IT'S IN PRISTINE CONDITION, USED DAILY, SOUNDS UNBELIEVABLE STILL, AND TO THIS DAY HAS NEVER BEEN SERVICED. I'M REFUSING OFFERS ALL THE TIME. I'LL NEVER SELL IT.
Can you explain why a person would want a stereo amp when surround sound makes music much more enjoyable My favorite is a Yamaha DSP amp because I found the front effect speakers to be a requirement. However a Denon is also required because the Yamaha does not use the center speaker in any of the audio modes. The front effect speakers make a significant difference
You got get the Technics series rack with SB7000a speakers because they are are awesome speakers rack looked Cool too
DYNACO ST 400....... just don't drop it on your foot!
Watt, no Marantz 8b or ST70?? Excuse me but.....
I just saw a 800 watt JBL "professional" amplifier
I have a friend that has the whole SPEC system. Ironically his name is Krell.
What are your thoughts on the marantz 250 powered amp?
My Pioneer Spec Amp has never needed anything.
Pioneer a 503r is fine, pioneer a 656 mark 2 is vary good, a400 is pretty good too
Hi, what do you think about Pioneer SA9800? Thanks
That’s a great amp! I love almost anything pioneer
@@LennyFlorentine I think the same. I love Pioneer too, mainly the Silver Era! I have a set with SA9800, TX9800, CT-F1250, CT-F900, SX980, SX737 and the reverber SR-303. Really good Pioneer times!
I have a Pioneer sa7800, i completly rebuilt it from scratch with new semiconductors, and it sounds like a good dream.
Those are some great ones Lenny... you have good taste👍
I agree. Lenny knows what he’s talking about in my opinion.
Anything that sounds good enough to me and I can get for pennies on the dollar.
Also pioneer class a mono amps bridged together
marantz model 9 tube is the best of all of them I heard them all
No longer interested in anything Budweiser
Great video and awesome info Lenny….love your energy. Just got back my first real audiophile purchase in 1977. Have a Kenwood 700M amp. (Gorgeous and sounds great) and 700C pre-amp. Running a PD 272 Luxman turntable and Kenwood 8300 tuner. (Tuner is weak link but it sounds wonderful. All are fully serviced and updated . Love those blue meters at night.😊. Keep em coming.
Actually being a rep for top products back in the '70's (Marantz, AR, Kenwood, Cerwin Vega, Audio Technica, ...) I see things from a very difference perspective. Yes in terms of popularity, you are pretty much on it! But I specialized in the higher end Audiophile oriented customers. OK, yes I sold tons of Cerwin Vegas, ... to the more retail oriented stores as well. But when in town I would hang out at Opus II in Memphis, Fat Julian's in Atlanta,.... and the more popular brands were not the choice of the Absolute Sound group.
Which leads me to my suggestion for amps. After reviewing my Rep samples, Harry Person of Absolute Sound said they were the most perfect amps he ever heard and owned a set as reference for years. The Kenwood Audio Purist line. The LO-7M was the 1st. 150W of DC to light with immeasurable distortion levels mono blocks. The first (and only?) amp to come with it's own custom speaker cables! Then they introduced the LO-9M, 300Watts of massive current supply! Yes the LO-7M sounded slightly better! Then the LO-5M @ 100Watts was the best sounding.
Then there is the even earlier Harmon Kardon Citation 12. The first of the ultra wideband solid state amp designs. earlier days of moving from lower powered tubes to transistors as they became capable of power and higher frequencies. I still own my original "reseller employee purchase" one from 1970.
I love mine Luxman C-1000 M-4000 set, Kenwood Supreme, Exclusive C-3/M-4, Sansui BA-3000/CA-3000, Sony Esprit TA-N902 TA-E900 👌
Dude! I guess you make more with videos than selling product. I only like barely vintage speakers (Triad Bronze LCR MTM and Marantz SP1515). I just bought a pair of (Kickstarter) new 240 watt @ 4 ohm mono blocks for $280. China is selling clones of old $50,000 amps for $500.
You missed the Luxman laboratory reference series, top notch and rare, and arguably the GOAT of the time and so rare it's pretty unknown even among vintage collectors, the Stax DA300 or the crazy rare Stax DMA-X1...
Pioneer SX1280 and up ! Plus the Sansui 9090s for Recievers and then the Pioneer Spec Amps! But the 2000 and 3000 Sansui amps are bad ass too!
In the 70s and 80s I went through the Marantz, Sony, Onkyo, and Realistic!
What I know is what I still Like and thats at the beginning of this comment!!!
Still goin strong with my Marantz stack, 125 tuner, 1250 integrated amp, & added a DC 300 amp. Beautiful blue lamps...
Did y'all forget SAE?
Nikko Alpha 650 300 watts per channel 8 Ohms @ 0.05 % distortion 👍
Crank out the jams
I just rebuilt my system from scratch and donated my Carver Platinum Amazing Loudspeakers, JVC QL5 turntable with a fabulous new cartridge installed and SAE 200 watt per channel power amp to a friend's daughter & her husband. She gave me a warm hug.
Made me smile to see a Wallensak 3M 8-track player on the shelf. It was the first thing I bought - I wanted something else to play my tapes on except my 68 Olds 442!😂. Wasn’t until I got it home that I figured out I needed something to connect it to! Hey, I was in high school - what did I know!! Oh yeah, I later bought a Magnavox quadrophonic, a Sony BetaMax and a Pioneer Laser disc player. I stopped giving advice on audio/video a long time ago!!
I have owned the Marantz 1070, and Kenwood KA-5500 integrateds that I loved for years. I’m now using a Hafler DH 200 power amp with a Rotel pre amp and Definitive Technology towers. I grew up in the 60’s & 70’s, so vintage gear will never get old!
I still have a Carver TFM 15 and a Carver TFM 6. I've since upgraded to Parasound, but they still work. Another fun video. Your killing it!
In my opinion, you have forgotten the Marantz DC line up. 140/170dc. BUT... I own a vintage accuphase c200x/p400 combination. Preamp is class a and the power amp is switchable to class a or ab. I always play it in class a. I'm really happy with my old set of accuphases. That's what I could afford some years ago, but right now as I heard some other accuphase sets, I will never ever sell those.
I had a SPEC 2 back in the 80's the inrush current would trip breakers in my dorm.. As I remember the Phase Linear gained the name "Flame Liner" in the Pro world, for the tendency to catch fire. The Crown D series was another Amp. that gained wide use in home systems. I am using a D-75 and it sounds great powering a pair of Klipsch KG1.5s .
I picked up a 1964 Roberts/ Akai 1630 tubed amp reel to reel the reel player was toast but removed that and you have a nice sounding tubed preamp/amp made a wood case for it and it drives my Kenwood kd5077 and university speaker very nicely. You can get those reel players cheap and you have a nice tubed amp.
Great commentary Lenny and extremely well presented. I love my Kenwood KR2400 not because it’s the best sounding amp of all time but because it’s what my dad had when I was introduced to the world of audio. Buying the best audio he could afford at the time listening to Shirley Bassie while raising a family. Gave my brother and I our first appreciation of audio.
For me, the Musical Fidelity A1000, no other integrated amplifier has ever taken control of my Tannoy Definition 300's in quite the way that this 50 watt class A does, everything is expressed in such a natural way and vocals are to die for, it doesn't have a favourite genre or recording type it just plays music, beautifully
the Technics SE-A3MK2 was rated at 300 wpc but had peak power of 1500 wpc.With a 4 stage darlington output and class a this 86 pound beast was the amp to beat.The power meters went to 1000 watts as well.
Ah, I new I could here that Baltimore accent. I'm still fuming mad that my beloved Colt's snuck out of town in the middle of the night...God bless Johnny Unitas!
Owned every Carver amp made except silver7. I thought they were the best and still rock the silver9t monoblocks. Magnetic field was so different than all other technologies. 😊
I have a couple Nikko amps and pre amps I bought in 1979 there still sound amazing and running strong. both going into JBl speakers one set is a pair of JBL L220s which is one of the best audio investments I ever made.
my first power amp and still have today carver m1.5t purchased new in germany 1988 it still performs flawlessly.