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

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.

@clearthinker, We had KMA 100s and KMA 200s driving Apogees at Excalibur in Olde Towne Alexandria VA. Dan and Rondi (Krell) would drive down frequently from CT to audition prototypes on our Infinity IRS Vs, some of the best sounding prototypes never made it to production. Bill and Lew (c-j) were 5 miles away and also used the IRSs as a microscope to test new products, the IRSs were at their best with a pair of Premier 5s and a Premier 3 preamp. There was something special about the KSA 50, especially in that timeframe when most SS amps were sub-par, the KSA 50 was sweet and musical.

@klh007   I agree with you entirely about the KSA50.   There was something magical about it.  It is often the case that a new company's break-through product is a killer.  But the magic is  probably mainly that it is full-range Class A.

It was John Atkinson's  reference for years after he bought the test piece when testing it as editor of Hi-Fi News & Record Review (UK) before being poached by Stereophile.  in a recent piece he says he still rates it and uses it a lot.

The KRS200s have been my main amps for more than 30 years now.  I have had them overhauled and re-capped once and shall never change them.

I went Audio Research in the pre-amp department rather than CJ although both offer very similar characteristics and benefits in my view as well as unquestionable integrity as traders.  I've moved away from AR on phono amp, initiated by their not offering fully balanced in their Reference flagship.  I went van den Hul The Grail and very definitely not regretted.