I'm pretty happy with my Denon AU-340 SUT, that uses some very nice Tamuri transformers and it doesn't break the bank. Check out the bandwidth of the older higher end Denon products. Tells you a lot about the quality of the transformers. These Tamuri have very nice specs and sound spectacular.
Older legendary transformers sometimes have very limited bandwidth that roll off sharply near the audible limits, this could have the effect's of tone controls, while you might find the sound "pleasing", it really isn't transparent to the music signal.
BillWojo