Personal amp evolution

Small Sansui Receiver ca. 1975
Sony TC630 (?) integrated amp section from tape.
Big heavy Sansui Receiver ca. 1973
Rotel 970 integrated
Proton receiver ca. 1986
B&K ST202+ Rebiased and fan cooled (amazing sound at 50W class A) cat knocked fan down, amp melted.

PSE Studio IV Euphonic little 120 WPC amp. Great imaging and easy euphonic sound. Detail level amazing with good PC.

Bryston 4B NRB - Great bass and decent imaging. Distinctly "pro" sound from midrange center through brittle treble. Improves a little with good PC. Clips at 95-98db SPL on Magnepan Tympani depending on bass content.

Biamp with the above two. Great match for Tympani. Bryston still clips on the bass at 100-105 db SPL. (lower with passive crossover, higher with active crossover).

Triamping with active crossover

Bass: Crown 5002VZ 2500 WPC at 4 ohms WOW bass. Not good for anything else unless you have the most laid back of speakers - due to thin "pro sound" high frequency heat. Grand imaging though.

Mid: 300hz to 5khz Classe DR-9 Great imaging, wonderfully full and nearly lush upper midrange (with good PC) lacks some dynamics. Images more specific and stable than with the PSE or Bryston 4B NRB)

Bryston 4B NRB imaging not quite as good. More dynamic than DR-9.

Treble: Classe DR-9 smooth and extended, but a little thin clearly outclasses PSE, Bryston).
Bryston is smooth (with PC - stock cord is a joke) but heats the treble as output increases.

I started listening to my fathers MC30, and Heath WM-4, then I had:
Pioneer reciever ca '73
Lux 3035 Reciever
Mitsubishi DA7C
H.H.Scott 299B
Dynaco MKIV (pr monoblocks)
Music Reference RM-9

Future:? I have had the RM-9 as my reference amp for quite some time, I just re-tubed it and it still works fine.....
Would love to look at Airtight or Hoveland.

Solid state to tubes, back to solid state. Been rough matching speakers with all these guys.

"Best Buy" Sony Receiver
Harmon Kardon Receiver
Norh SE-9
Decware Zen Select
Sophia Electric Baby
Cayin TA-30
Arcam Diva A65 Plus
Onix A-120

Also have a Sansui 9090 (~1972) really sounds amazing.

Wow! A short list. A Stromberg-Carlson mono reciever with a wire recorder and 78 turntable (from my grandparents) with great FM reception. Next a Dynaco Stereo 120 Power amp. Last a pair of Kenwood L-07m II's. I have had those for 20+ years and still love em.

Started with tubes, went through some Solid State, now back to mostly tubes. I'm a Packrat, get rid of little, don't upgrade so much as add systems (Bedroom, Basement, Home Theatre, "Listening Room", Living Room, daughter's room = 6 systems)

Pilot (monaural) AF850 in Garrard console (still have in a box somewhere)
Dynaco ST-70 (factory wired, now modified, see below)
McIntosh MA-5100 (still use)
McIntosh MC-240 (girlfriend stole)
Carver ?? (gone, thank god)
Pioneer Elite M-91 (strong & harsh & gone)
Classe CA150 then CA200 (still use)
then the vintage tube bug hit...
Fisher SA-100 (sweet!)
Eico HF-81 (still use)
rebuilt my ST-70 from high school with Alan Kimmel/Welborne mod (still use)
Bottlehead Paramour 2A3 (in process)

looking for a modern small tube amp, but haven't fallen in love with any yet (Jadis? Manley? VTL?)

I spend a lot more on LP's than I do on equipment and have NEVER had a "state of the art" system. But it's certainly easy to revisit my old sound, cuz I still have it somewhere!