Best Receiver?

Had all of them. Kenwood, marantz, sansui and pioneer. The one I feel was the best is the pioneer sx 1250. Kenwoods have excellent tuners but the sound is dull. 
The build quality on the pioneers really stood out and the looks are just stunning. 
They are getting very expensive. Mine is completely original with the double box and all the paperwork. I use it in a vintage 2nd system and enjoy the heck out of it. 

Cheers

Nakamichi TA4.  Utilized Nelson Pass’s Status technology in the power amp section and sounded quite different than other receivers in its class at the time.

What speakers?

DeKay

I highly recommend the McIntosh MAC4100. It’s my favorite receiver compared to a collection of top end units. Another standout for me is Sansui Eight. The Fisher recommendations are solid too. I love my kx200, and just got an 800b back from restoration. 

Magnum Dynalab made some great recent receivers, and the Outlaws also quite good...as much as I like the vintage ones, even fully refurbished ones have lots of 50 year old parts and lots of potential issues and problems...