Japanese tube amps. Wavac, Air Tight, Audio Tekne, Komuro etc.

Yes, many high end brands are not discussed here or discussed very little. I don't know why. I can understand that not many have one of those Japanese amps or Nagra but still. Even VAC and Lamm are rarely talked about. Accuphase, Gryphon, Soulution etc, - sometimes but again not much. They are all expensive and very expensive equipment, of course, but I don't think that's the main reason.

Add Aesthetix to the seldom mentioned list. Top quality stuff.

I owned an Air Tight ATM-2, which was used to drive Harbeth SHL5+ speakers. It was the best tube amp I've ever owned; the sound and build quality are exceptional. 

I'd love to pick another ATM-2 up someday, but you rarely see good quality units on the used market. 

I liked the lower powered offerings of the likes of Shindo, Kondo, and Yamamoto.  Some of the older Kondo gear, like their M10 preamp, are stunningly good sounding.  I sort of found that out the hard way.  Many years ago, I was in the market for Stax Omega II headphones.  I heard them at a dealership and bought a pair with the Stax tube amplifier.  When I listened to them at home, they sounded good, but not as good as they sounded at the store.  When I asked the store owner about this, he explained that when I auditioned the headphones, they were hooked up to a Kondo M10 and I don't have anything nearly as good in my system.  

larryi, that's definitely hard way, a bit sad.

Yes, I just forgot to mention the brands that you did.

Japanese tube amplification deserves most serious attention.

I remember, there used to be a dealer in Virginia called Hi-Fi Farm who had many exotic and rare brands, including some Japanese.