Your experience in "in their day" brands/components that you remember foundly?

Sansui model 7 receiver, Dual turntable, empire cartridge, Realistic Optimus 1 speakers, Realistic reel to reel. My first stereo!

A Golden Tube SE40 plucked me from the NAD/Adcom components I had been using in the early 90's and into the vacuum tube world.  Oh what fun it was to roll different 6DJ8's in that amp.  And mine didn't even blow up, like most of them!  

It was the first move among MANY in the mid- and late-90's.  I'd hate to count how many components went in & out back in those days.

Onkyo A 10. What a great amp it was.

The brands that rocked my hifi world (in no particular order):

McIntosh, ESS, Nakamichi, SAE, Thorens, Rabco, Audio Alchemy, K'Horns, huge Infinitys, DBX, Hafler, Dahlquist, Acoustat.

Often overlooked and under-appreciated:

The Magical Music Boxes of KLH.  These simple, compact systems would fit on a piece of furniture that the customer already owned and brought high quality music to tight spaces and even tighter budgets.  Featured Garrard turntable with Pickering cartridge and acoustic suspension KHL speakers that could hold their own in a very competitive speaker market at the time.

First hi-fi system, 1973:  Marantz 2270, Philips GA-212 with Stanton 681-EE, a pair of Altec 12" speakers (can't remember the model).  After that, in 1979, Accuphase T-100, C-200, P-300 (two of these power amps) with Infinity RS-2.5 and matching Infinity active crossover, Micro Seiki DDX-1000 with Micro Seiki MA-500 tonearm, Luxman SUT and Ortofon MC-200.  I am still sad that I gave up my Accuphase components to my nephew, who never paid me the agreed upon price and payment plan.  My system today is by far the most resolving, but that Accuphase was really something special to me.