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

@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.

waytoomuchstuff,

I bought my Mother one of the great KLH compact systems that she used the balance of her life.  

sfar,  I also had the Dynaco model you mention...with an early BSR turntable with a early Shure M44e and some decent two way Dynaco speakers...of course with heavy gage lamp cord wire.  

So my starter system in 1977 in college was a Phase Linear 4000 pre, a Phase Linear 400 power amp, a Yamaha Tuner, a Phillips 212 turntable (with highly cool green LED touch sensors for speed on on/off, which in 1977, was awesome( and Electovoice speakers which I replaced with Epicure Trilogy 3.0 speakers.

But what sucked me into hifi was a setup at this store called Natural Sound in Framingham, Mass, where I grew up.  Mark Levinson separates, a turntable that I dont remember but looked very hi end, and stacked Quad ESL57’s.  To me, it was like the band was playing in the room . . . It was just an awesome experience.  Of course, the weed might had something to do with it, but I remember that sound so well.  I recently spoke with one of my college buddies who went there with me and he agreed that that was just about as great as we could imagine!  Ive been chasing that sound since then!

My first leap into audio started at 13 - was a GE am/fm 8 track.   I then built some 3 way speakers using radio shack components.  Obviously low fi at best.   At 19 or so I bought a NAD 7155 receiver and a Sony CD player.   By mid 20s I moved onto Aragon & Mirages M5si.   I then swapped the Aragon for Counterpoint gear.   That was a notable improvement over 12 years or so.   My tastes in music also evolved along with my ‘critical’ listening skills and overall knowledge of equipment, tubes.    It’s a journey over many decades.  However, my first 10, 12 years were the most exciting to be honest.