What brand was better than it is today?

Heh, I'm going to throw out a brand from left field.  Emotiva.  Even though their preamp/dac have been pretty steady (okay but nothing special), their amplifier design has slowly taken a nose dive over the years due to compromises in design.  The latest Gen 3 stuff is the worst because of that damn switching power supply and, based on the bias resistors, they are running with a lower Class A bias, making their amps close to a Class AB/B type.  Nothing as good as their Gen 1 XPA or XPR series.

Really?  I went through a very large number of rooms at RMAF and wasn't impressed until I got to the McIntosh / Sonus Fabre room.  This was one of the first rooms where I felt "there was something special".  It was very excellent sounding, but still too laid back for my own personal preference (which is a characteristic of McIntosh).