Put me in the "anti" camp. I sold all the Japanese brands in their '60's heyday .... the US designed Haron-Kardon's beat them hands down. The Audionics BP2 preamp and CC amplifier beat all of them hands down. And these were in the same price range. Not to mention the Eico kits, Healthkits, and Fisher and Scott kits of that same era.
The most expensive I evaluated in my home was the complete top end Luxman line .... preamp, power amp, tuner. They were good, looked fabulously expensive (and were), and sounded somewhere between Marantz transistor gear and the Audio Research SP-6 and D70-90-115 line which cost no more.
I've heard lots of Japanese electronics which sound very good for the price. But I've never heard any that sounded remotely close to the best.
The most expensive I evaluated in my home was the complete top end Luxman line .... preamp, power amp, tuner. They were good, looked fabulously expensive (and were), and sounded somewhere between Marantz transistor gear and the Audio Research SP-6 and D70-90-115 line which cost no more.
I've heard lots of Japanese electronics which sound very good for the price. But I've never heard any that sounded remotely close to the best.