Best vintage amps (late 70s / early 80s) under $3k?

I concur with the recommendation to take a good look at the NUForce STA200 SS amps.  Check out the reviews on Absolute Sound, Hi Fi News, Stereophile, and the Audio Advisor website.  They have reduced the price to a rediculous cost as low as 449 each (Audio Advisor yesterday).  At 499 I purchased a pair to bi amp my Martin Logan SL3 electrostats.  I previously ran class A Stereophile recommended Creek 5350 SE’s, or alternatively a pair of restored and tweaked Harman Kardon Citation II tube amps that I spent a lot of money to completely rebuild and installed the best components and tubes available.  They sound awesome, until I acquired the NUForce STA 200’s.  They retail for over 1200 and were considered a bargain at that price, the sale price is rediculous.  Some pretty strong statements from users, that I agree with after they hit 20 hours..  My pre-amp is a tweaked out PAS-4 Dynaco tube (Panor 1995yr version) with the best Mundorf Supreme caps EVO Silver, gold, oil and using Vishay low uF bypass capacitors to refine the soundstage and the best tubes available including a quad of the HG Russian ‘75 6N23P’s and 60’s Grid Frame E83CC Tesla’s ( TeleF 803S grid frame copy) in the front end of the phono section.  The ML SL3’s electrostats have large panels that are extremely resolving to reveal the finest details.  There is no question to my ear that the NUForce STA200’s live up to the accolades  in users reviews and outperform anything else I’ve connected them to.  Fast, resolving, broader/deeper soundstage, clear, dead quite, unfatiguable.  And they run cool.  Eclipse my Creek’s and the HK II’s by a large margin that is very audible if not impressive.  I’m 65 yr old and have been running audiophile systems since I was 15 with my first tube Mac (cut a lot of grass for that).  I never thought I could be torn away from the tweaked HK Citations’s, but these NUForce amps are the best audiophile bargain and they are bran spanking new.  

Mr D:   But I understand you have a “new favorite” with the NUforce STA200.  I’m curious, to compare notes, does it equal or best your previous favorite?  Increasingly, after only 40 hrs run time on the STA200’s, I will find it difficult to place the recommended Class A Creeks back in pocket or beloved HK Citation II’s, which are about as tweaked out as these can get.  They are different, the Creek brighter and more precise, the Citations a bigger soundstage that feels more live.  A complete new set of Mundorf Premium EVO Silver/gold/oil caps for each Citation runs > $500, or the cost of a new STA200 on sale at AA.  ???  Such is the cost of messing with the old gems.  To my old ear, the STA-200’s do more of both.  Its just another two steps up to “bring them up”.  Go figure, old dog doing new tricks.  It is NOT easy jumping into a new Vet when the 65 looks so nostalgic and turns more heads, I think that is part of what held me back.  You can’t deny the 65 looks fantastic when completely tweaked out, however also cannot deny the new one can kick its butt in raw performance.   In the end isn’t that what we want?  Sounding better to our own ears.   Unless what drives you is nastalga and collecting.  And many do follow this as their compas.  Had it not been for extensive user reviews by others, I would have never considered it.  Maybe its the glow of the tubes.  I’m after performance which is why the STA 200’s are destined to be my daily driver.  I’ll park the Citations for nastalga.  Hell they were built in 1960, was just 8 yrs old.  Like old friends.  They have required two major rebuilds over their life.   But as we age we deserve a new ride, that is reliable, and don’t need rust protection or an engine rebuild, so go buy em.  As you stated, can always send em back.