Personal amp evolution

JVC RX-8 receiver
Carver 1.0
Counterpoint SA-220
Melos stereo 200 triode
Audio Valve Balduar 240's triode
Conrad Johnson premier 12's [loaner]
BAT VK-120 Mono's
Conrad Johnson premier 8's used to wish I still had these until getting the 750's.
VTL 450 signature's
VTL 750 REFERENCE

CITATION 12 1974
KENWOOD LO7Ms 1979
CLASSE DR10 1991

Fisher 400 tube receiver, Amber Black Series 70 (early model), Adcom 545 (inadvertant downgrade - I read too many reviews!), Bryston 2B, Forte 4a, Conrad Johnson 11a, Conrad Johnson Premier 12 monoblocks..

Then, after reading so many great reviews of integrated amps I decided to see how far I could down-grade and be happy. Close - these are excellent amps but not quite my resting point - were Magnum 208, Mistral LFD SE, Plinius 8200 II (VERY CLOSE).... Now I seem to be quite content with my Cary SLI-80 running in triode, although Tuesday my friend is bringing over his BelCanto SET40i ... we shall see.

BTW, preamps include early Amber and PS Audio models, 3 generations of Audible Illusions (great stuff!), CJ 17LS (wonderful!), and then, ohhhh, and then, I tried the First Sound Deluxe (whatever that $4000 model is called). WOW.

If I do go back to separates it will be to use the First Sound to drive damn near anything.....

Art

Over the last 20 years:

Some nondescript Akai integrated
Naim Nait (the first one)
Musical Fidelity A1
Mission Cyrus II/PSX
SimAudio Celeste 4070
Sugden Au51P
KR 18 BSI
Coincident MP-300B

My preferences have now come into sharp focus. I'm a tube person, and I'm not likely to leave the land of the glowing botles any time soon.

It's been up and down for me over the decades (yes, decades)

Looking just at the amplification side:

Magnavox receiver (I was a kid)
SAE (can't remember the model number any more)
Golden Tube 80
Electrocompaneit
Now moving back to tubes with a Manley Stingray or a modified JoLida 302B

F7