I wouldn't bother with vintage amps. Yes, some were built to very high standards, some were not. Problem is it can be difficult to determine just what you're really getting when buying a vintage unit. Sellers can make all sorts of false claims about a unit's history and condition.
If you want a great modern amp that is built to high standards, with high quality parts, you need look no further than a Yamaha A-S801. These easily compete with some of the best vintage receivers. Some of the newer Marantz integrateds are also very nice.
If your speakers are really that high of sensitivity (not likely), you can get away with a solid-state amp of low power. Personally, I prefer SS amps with at least 75 watts/ch, even with efficient speakers. That seems to be the power sweet-spot, where less power often results in compression at high volumes, and more is often not necessary, especially if the amp has a robust power supply.
Coming from the HT world, if you're ditching an AVR, you might be very surprised at how superior a good integrated amp can sound, even something as inexpensive as a Yamaha A-S301. If you care about having a tuner, the R-S700 is also a very nice unit with plenty of grunt.
If you want a great modern amp that is built to high standards, with high quality parts, you need look no further than a Yamaha A-S801. These easily compete with some of the best vintage receivers. Some of the newer Marantz integrateds are also very nice.
If your speakers are really that high of sensitivity (not likely), you can get away with a solid-state amp of low power. Personally, I prefer SS amps with at least 75 watts/ch, even with efficient speakers. That seems to be the power sweet-spot, where less power often results in compression at high volumes, and more is often not necessary, especially if the amp has a robust power supply.
Coming from the HT world, if you're ditching an AVR, you might be very surprised at how superior a good integrated amp can sound, even something as inexpensive as a Yamaha A-S301. If you care about having a tuner, the R-S700 is also a very nice unit with plenty of grunt.