Uesugi and Luxman Vintage

Hey T-bone ... Thanks a lot! This is very helpful. Out of curiosity, are you anywhere near Osaka or Kobe? PM me.

Rob,
Welcome to Japan. Lots of interesting stuff to find here. I would be surprised if you can get an audition with either one which would be a good stand-in for your own system but it might work. Most places which would sell either will likely have different setups than yours. If you are a tube fan, the Luxman SQ-88 and SQ-38 are famous and, perhaps unfortunately, reasonably sought after in Japan. On the SS side, I think the 550 and 570 (especially the 570Z) are pretty excellent. Uesugi has an excellent reputation in Japan and used prices are quite respectable but I cannot remember any integrated amp model numbers. Some of the top separates have a very strong cult following. AudioUnion often has secondhand units. Yahoo Japan is also a place to pick them up. If you pick up a copy of StereoSound, there are lots of ads for stereo shops which carry secondhand equipment so you can check their ads or websites too.