I'm happy with my Musical Fidelity A300. Powering a similarly inefficient B&W 805 Matrix (87db) with a reputation for being a tad bright. The A300 does a great job with sound staging, great depth while still sounding smooth. The A300 leans slightly warm, but still has good detail and manages to sound exciting. Vocals are especially good.
I also think the phono preamp for MM is under-rated. I have compared the A300 phono with the well regarded Adcom GFP-565 phono and there is not a clear winner (I got the Adcom, thinking it would be a great improvement over the built-in phono on the A300). Adcom has the quieter background, but the the A300 is more lively and engaging. The A300 can be difficult to find, but I have seen them go for less than 700.00. It can be a good sleeper with ample power (150 watts, Dual Mono, lots of inputs, pre-amp out, MM/MC phono).
I also think the phono preamp for MM is under-rated. I have compared the A300 phono with the well regarded Adcom GFP-565 phono and there is not a clear winner (I got the Adcom, thinking it would be a great improvement over the built-in phono on the A300). Adcom has the quieter background, but the the A300 is more lively and engaging. The A300 can be difficult to find, but I have seen them go for less than 700.00. It can be a good sleeper with ample power (150 watts, Dual Mono, lots of inputs, pre-amp out, MM/MC phono).