This is the list of the best makers of audio equipment. Respond if you disagree

P 05129:  Cassette tape was doomed when it started: not enough tape to record on, heat if using in a car, and the 1.7 ips speed. I have had reel to reel decks and 3 3/4 speeds sounded terrible too, 7.5 ips was listenable but the magic occurred at 15ips.

I thought the cassette format was fine for my purposes - extreme portability. I had a Nakamichi RX202 auto-reversing deck and an LX7 one-way deck after my original 1000 eventually failed. I used the RX202 to record a weekly 2-hour FM radio program with cool music that broadcast after I went to bed.  I used TDK 120 minute premium ferric tape  - they worked fine despite warnings. From those tapes I selected my favorites, bought their CD's and made mixes on my pro-level CDR/RW recorder and played on my home system with the aid of an early, inexpensive MSB upsampling DAC and for playing in my car.  I gave away the RX202 when I moved to an area that had no decent FM but still make CD mixes on the pro-recorder.  I can ill-afford today's reel-to-reel decks let alone deal with the unwieldy process of playing different music.

Bang and Olufsen is a lifestyle brand, not a hi-fi gear maker. I heard their $90,000.00 Beolab 90s one day which proved a massive let down.
Also, their Beolab 18s. Two 4" Scanspeak mid bass drivers and a dome tweeter in a fancy, polished aluminum tube with a wooden "acoustic lens" + wireless tech for 12 grand USD. lol
B&O prefers branded retail stores because it's best if their sound gear is not subjected to A/B comparisons with competitors' offerings.

On the other hand, I had a Technics SL1800 Mk II which was a very nice machine. I purchased it in 1980 and finally I sold it in 2016. I don't do vinyl anymore, but if I did I would probably have hung onto it for the rest of my life.

NAD is a great value brand. Few if any other manufacturers  so consistently deliver that level of fidelity for the money.

What about those speakers that were sold out of the back of those white vans. I was told many times those were the best speakers ever made and way cheaper than what everyone else was buying.