Amps from the 1980's -- What gear holds up sonically? Reliably?

Have a Crown PL Three and SL Two silver face setup driving Tannoy LRM's and JBL 4311's. Don't know if there's a better looking power package (PL Four excluded) than this setup. Can't tell you the ease in which this amp drives my gear. Hasn't EVER given me an issue... put it all away for 10yrs but is now back in my main system. Also have a Nikko Alpha 220/Beta 20 stack that is almost equally impressive although not as handsome. That is now driving a set of ads L1230's in another room. I have had the Nikko equipment since new '82 playing almost every day and it has never required even a bulb. Guess my faves are my vintage Crown and Nikko amp/pre pairs. 

Still use a pair of Sumo Andromeda II A’s driving a pair of like vintage Acoustat 1100’s via a like vintage Audio Research LS 2B MKII. Every time I bring in something new to test drive against what I have the newbie gets smoked and sent back.   Have an even older Sansui TU-9900 tuner but thats been completely redone by Mike at Radio X and uses much newer Burr Brown chips.

It was nice because most tube amps sounded musical back then. Now more than half the tube amps sounds closer to solid state, at least in tonal balance. I wish Conrad Johnson had stuck closer to their musicality heritage, for example.

Who didn't like the look of McIntosh? I always loved the look! ;) The green glow.

I just sold my quad 63 and went back to Snell Type A... The originals, totally refurbished. Both are magnificent sounding speakers. They complete against expensive designs of today. It is amazing how little speakers have improved in almost fifty years ... once again, in terms of musicality.

True story. Back then I purchased a preamp from a woman who worked for a terrific high end store west of Madison WI. As we talked, she related to me that she was into high-end. She told me that her theta amp was the best she had ever heard. She also related that she kept it hidden from her husband and pulled it out whenever he went to work. Ultimately, she was discovered and her love for her amp, led to her divorce....

Phase Linear are still great amps and some still sound great in relation to modern amps. If they still work your all set but if not there are a few places on E-Bay that will get them back to Snuff I use Circle Stereo in Texas. You had the 400's 700 and 500 and the newer ones had a B designation and had  different meters  and they still sound as good as most new amps and maybe better after being rebuilt. I still have all of these and I can't get myself to part with them. And by the way Pink Floyd used too use the 700's stacked so that goes to show how good they were. Look up the most influential amps of all time and you'll see the 400 as right up  near the top. Bob Carver was the guy who got the ball rolling as far as high powered good sounding amps. I am 72 and have heard them all. Most important is the Pre amp as that will make the big difference and a lot of new ones have made great strides as far as better sound.