Personal amp evolution

Good time for me to add my list as I just made a very satisfactory upgrade :

1982 JVC receiver - 60W (ha!) plus cheesy tone controls

1991 Nakamichi receiver 3 - 35W - blew the JVC away

2001 Rotel RA-972 integrated amp - 60W - really blew the Nak away

2004 Acurus A200 amp - 200W - harsh and brittle using RA-972 as preamp

2004 Rotel RC-995 preamp - really sings with the Acurus amp

I should be happy for a long time to come as the RC995/A200 combo sounds better than I could have imagined and has more power than I will ever need (never say that huh?!).

A UK perspective:
1978 Quad 45/303, lasted 20 years a very good early SS comb
1999. E.C.Audio Finestra (early Tom Evans)/ Quad 606, a clear improvement, particularly the pre. Now used by my son
2003. Finestra/ Pass Labs Aleph 3, I can'nt see myself getting rid of the Aleph
2003. Graaf WFB-one/Aleph 3, very good Italian valve pre with good phono stage.
2004. Conrad Johnson Premier 17/ Audio Synthesis Passion Phono stage/Aleph 3. As near perfect as I can see myself needing ( I know, we all say that)

Guess I'll add mine after seeing this post has run for over 2.5 years.

Start: Acurus A150
Parasound 1500A
Anthem Amp2 SE
VAC PA100/100
McIntosh MC126

Wow Amps i have had.
Starting in The teen years . My very first amp was actualy two Langvin Public address 250 watters. I had to replace all 4 tubes per chassis to operate them. and it cost me a summer of lawn mowing. They didnt have the quality i soon learned to appreciate. I next bought a 20 watt per channel intergrated bare chassis from lafayette radio corp. it severed well till I was handed down a Fisher 101A with a matching tuner. But as a kid "tubes" we now obsolete. I remember smashing that unit for kicks,/
I again found a nice retailer who offered used equipent and in high school i got my first Marantz 1030 and then a 1060 with 104 tuners. The speakers were marantz and I still have them, Upgraded in collage to bi amp and used the 1060 as a tweeter amp and bought a DC 300 III for the bass, soon needed larger woffers. and bought 18 inch JBL's I still have in 8 cu ft cabinets.addd another DC 300 and a Clarion Intergrated amp with huge input flexibility, Im now running two crown dc 300 's a BOSE 1800 pro, and a hafler 120P. with dolby digital via a yamaha reciever.
Ive had along the path a Phase linear stereo 200 and 400's both self destructed.The same with the Dynaco stereo 120 and a Dynaco stereo 400 and a beat up by a band DC150 crown. But with a loading factor in the 2 ohm range I expect that to happen to weaker amps, I now have established a vintage electronics business located in Upstate NY and at wolf_audio on eBay.
Theres a dynaco SCA 80 there now.

ARC VS110...harkens back to the tube magic of yesteryear without the limitations of frequency or control.