Dual, Sansui, Adcom ... solid value icons of the past ... I had all of these in my youth ... but they are gone and so don't really qualify as answers to the original question. They have been replaced with more modern .. and better .. alternatives from Rega, Rogue Audio and Outlaw respectively.
I have a new Marantz for my home theatre and I think it to be a most excellent product and at least equal to anything from the past in its inflation-adjusted price range.
For me, the clear answer to the original question of this thread is Infinity. I still have a Modulus satellite-subwoofer system I bought brand new in 1989. When I bought it, Infinity gave me a personal tour of their factory in Chatsworth, California. That system represented the zenith of Infinity's excellence and it served me very for many years. I attend AXPONA every year and always listened for speakers that could better that Modulus system. Of course many always could, but at what price? I eventually replaced the them in my reference system with a pair of Magico S3. I never have heard any speaker match those Infinitys for the $3300 I paid.
I have a new Marantz for my home theatre and I think it to be a most excellent product and at least equal to anything from the past in its inflation-adjusted price range.
For me, the clear answer to the original question of this thread is Infinity. I still have a Modulus satellite-subwoofer system I bought brand new in 1989. When I bought it, Infinity gave me a personal tour of their factory in Chatsworth, California. That system represented the zenith of Infinity's excellence and it served me very for many years. I attend AXPONA every year and always listened for speakers that could better that Modulus system. Of course many always could, but at what price? I eventually replaced the them in my reference system with a pair of Magico S3. I never have heard any speaker match those Infinitys for the $3300 I paid.