Amplifiers:A Keeper for Life. Do you know of one ?

I don't see a reason for me to ever sell my Ayre AX-5. I've been on a merry-go-round for a while, but I feel done with that.

My Classe CA-M600 is almost forever... I'd like to change for a Classe CA-M900 when it be produced.

Tubes separates:

1. Marantz 8b. Incredible bass. Tunable damping factors. Easy to replace EL34 tubes. Value appreciating constantly. Simple circuitry. Individual bias pots mean no need of matched tubes.
2. Heathkit W2(AM). Representative of the clasic Williamson's circuitty realized with good quality ALtec output tranformer. Power transformer is of real bad quality but replaceable with modern quality units. Incredible musicality rivalling and bettering the EICO HF-81 at similar prices. Output switchable from triode to pentode for different tastes. Highly tunable and customizable with many resources.

SS separates:

1. Nakamichi PA-7 and PA-7 II(2). Recent prices of best have dropped from a high of USD1.5k in 2002 to USD600-900 in 2014. Circuitry easily referenced to Threshold units for upgrades and repair. Famous Nelson Pass design. Comparable quality parts to other High End builders'. Very under-valued even at its height in second hand market. Sound-wise, big bass with good damping. Very articulate sound. Tube-like sound but with precise trebles and huge dynamics. Any Nak with Nelson Pass power amp sections will sound incredibly good, like the humble TA-2 tuner/amp of 50wpc. So the 200wpc PA-7 shocked me when I used it with my Celestion SL-700. Keeper for life with no alternative at this price. Buy two or three for multiple amping!!

Hi TBL_HK...Great comments and interesting reading. And by the way, the Celestion SL700 is a great speaker! Did you keep it?

Well, hey -- I don't know of a keeper for life, largely because mine isn't over yet. But, I have had a GAS Grandson AMP (with meters) and matching Thalia pre-amp since they were purchased in 1978 at the Sound Shack in Natrona Heights, Pennsylvania. Now that I'm old enough to have a grandson, I prefer the GAS power amp -- it shuts off when I tell it to do so. But we're downsizing, and won't have room for the old component system. I might part with it so if anyone is interested out there in cyberspace, do send me an e-mail at grabinsky@aol.com