Amps with meters ...

@twoleftears  - You are dating yourself!
Preference here is for no fancy stuff.  I am having a pair of monoblocks made and the faceplates will have one very small LED and the manufacturer's name engraved, without the model name/number or anything else.  After it is engraved, the whole faceplate will be powder-coated black so the engraving will show as a somewhat subtle shading contrast.  Since all my gear is kept in a heavy, well-braced mission style cabinet, except the amps and speakers, my listening enjoyment does not rely on my being able to look at the gear.
All that said, I still remember being awed by the first high-end system I ever saw.  My friend's dad was an attorney and had a full McIntosh system with meters everywhere!  I also appreciate the retro look of Ralph's Atmasphere gear.

I like meters. They look like little conductor's batons keeping in pace with the music.

Yes no doubt amps with VU meters are better than amps with LED. Unless maybe lots and lots of LED. Whole bunch of them in rows by frequency. With dials. And sliders. Lots and lots of sliders.

"Some listeners may find that the amplifier sounds better with meters."

Count me in. Maybe not "sounds" but "overall experience".

"...and the manufacturer's name engraved, without the model name/number or anything else."

Why put the manufacturer's name there? I would skip that first.

My old Phase Linear 400 amp had VU meters. After some forty years the light went dim, but not out, on the right channel .Thinking the world may be coming to an end, I replaced the Phase 400 with a brand new Luxman L-507uX Mark 2 with two large brightly lit VU meters.

1. An amp without VU meters is hardly an amp at all. It just sits there showing little or no sign of life or activity, unless you want to count the odd LED as something of note.

2. Those who do not like large ostentatious meters with their gyrating meter needles at best may be heartlessly obsessed with musical perfection to their own detriment. There is no fun in a comatose amp.

3. VU meters at best are useless relics from the past, but then again I might be too, so why not enjoy them and yourself, and both our ridiculous displays. 

4. I was thrilled to find out Luxmans had VU meters. The world has not come to an end.

Mike