Audiophile sound quality from a more "mainstream" company?

I tend not to follow the crowds.

Kenwood L05 and L07 mono amps from 1980. They can compete sonically with any of today's five-figure amps! I wish I had a pair! I do have one of Kenwood's best preamps - another great piece!

Isn't there a tier of Yamaha products that is very well regarded by Audiophiles?

Technics, some Yamaha, some Marantz, some Pioneer Elite, some Onkyo/Integra, some Polk and some Klipsch speakers ... even some Sony.

the usual suspects all build some quality stuff.  

Try to forget about the price tag, close your eyes, and open your ears and mind.

The usual suspects all build some quality stuff.

Yes when the better portion of their audio department can have the freedom and budget to play. Having the capacity and the resources they can still create amazingly good sound also and at better pricing. One has to see what competitors components they posses just for comparisons and evaluation.

One last thing is, like in the past, many expensive stuff is not exported so we do not have the whole picture.