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

The golden age of audio was arguably the late 70s / early 80s, when corporations were willing to dump a ton of money into R&D / materials to make the best equipment possible. The downside to owning equipment from this period now is possible refurbishment and maintenance costs, but it seems good deals can still be had.

Wondering if you guys had recommendations of great sounding amps from this era? Ideally I'm looking for something that's 100W minimum, doesn't run hot, and under $3000 second hand.

I already have a fully refurbished late 70s Pioneer M-22 that outputs 30W into 8ohms. I love this amp, but being Class A it's like a radiator and not suitable for Southern California's summer months in a smallish room. More power would also be good as my speaker efficiency is 89.5db. I listen to many genres of music, so the amp needs to be a good all-rounder.

My current chain:

Turntable: Technics 1210M5G w/ AudioMods tonearm and Lyra Delos MC cart
Phono stage: Avid Pulsus
DAC: RME ADI-2 Pro
Preamp: Schiit Saga
Amp: Pioneer M-22
Speakers: Prana Fidelity Bhava
Subs: Rythmik L12
pts

Showing 1 response by pkvintage

pkvintage's avatar
pkvintage
215 posts
 
All these posts and no mention of Bryston. It puzzels me. They are probably the best value on the planet in SS. For under 3k you will get a 3Bsst2 160 watts a side that will drive anything you put behind them. They sound awsome leaning toward tube and are still well within a 20 year warranty.

Or spend 1/3 that and get a 3Bst which is also very good. You will have enough $ left over to upgrade another component. Maybe match with one of their pre amps for the synergy. 
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