Two phases: college/early 20’s. My dad has Heathkit AR-15, Rectilinear speakers and a turntable (?) with a Shure V-15 Type III and then Type IV cartridges and a large classical record collection. So I was raised right. 🙂 My first system was a NAD 7020 and eventually a Thorens TD-145 with a Shure V-15 (must have been my Dad’s type III hand-me-down, can’t remember anymore). And a crap tape deck to keep from wearing out the vinyl. I also had access at the time to a Nakamich 680ZX because the owner lived in Las Vegas and I lived near the Nakamichi service center in Santa Monica and it needed service at least twice. So it lived at my place until it went home to its owner. I think I got the NAD and the Thorens from Accurate Audio in Santa Monica.
Second phase: I had a girlfriend with mid-80’s AR separates, an Oracle TT, and Vandersteen speakers. Great girlfriend, right? ❤️ Her system was pretty sublime and well set-up. We broke up when I moved to Santa Cruz and after a while I went to Bay Area Audio to audition the just-released baby Thiel’s (CS .5). Don’t know the model numbers but the demo system was top of the line AR separates and a Cal Audio CD player into those Thiels. Knocked my ****in’ socks off. That’s when I first heard air, separation, etc. etc. I was hooked. It took me a really long time, but I ended up with a version of that system that I use today. Linn Klimax Organik DAC (Qobuz) into AR Ref 75SE into a pair of those baby Thiels. Audience AU SE cables mostly. Oh, and a perfectly serviced Nakamichi 680XZ and the original TD-145 TT into a PS Audio phono preamp. 🙂 We have two other systems (Thiel 1.5, PS Audio DirectStream Mk. I w/ Bridge II, LFD NCSE II) and (LFD LE IV, Rega Planet 2000, B+W Nautilus 805’s). The Linn/REF75SE system is by far the best sounding.
So I guess the answer for me is really Audio Research amps.