Top 5 recievers of the 70's and 80's ????

To me, there is a certain integrity that comes with designing and branding something from the ground up.

Like modified or garage manufactured cars, I am not so moved by the fact that some quirky English car, which starts with a Lotus chassis or whatever, in the end actually outhandles and outaccelerates a Ferrari for 1/4th the price.

I'll take the Ferrari. And a Yamaha receiver.

If you would like to just debate performance, rather than the complete package including functionality and design, we should also discuss the Tandberg receiver and the McIntosh receiver of that era.

Bang & Olufsen Beomaster 2400. The fact that we're talking about receivers means to me that we're talking for more casual use, not for a reference system . . . and the 2400 sounds pretty decent, has an amazing list of technical innovations, and has a balance of aesthetics and ergonomics that makes them an absolute pleasure to use.

Consider the electronic photo-resistor volume control, which is all the rage in several high-end preamps these days. Low output power but with lots of current, and DC offset protection without using a speaker relay. A good-sounding, sensitive (when aligned properly) analog FM tuner with presets. Solid-state source switching using only diodes. Not to mention the capacitive touch-sensitive controls, and possibly the first remote control available on a music system . . . all done without a microprocessor. This was designed in the mid-1970s, when the rest of the world was producing ever larger conglomerations of chrome, light shows, fake vinyl wood, and a seemingly endless number of buttons, toggles, and rotary wafer switches.

And considering how cutting-edge much of the circuitry was, Beomaster 2400s as a group still aged pretty well . . . many are still working great today with only a couple trips to the repair shop over a 30 year lifespan.

Luxman: R117, R115
Marantz: 2270
Tandberg: 2075, 2080
Nakamichi: SR3a

Yamaha CR-1000 (note sure about the CR designation, but mid to late 70's)
This was my first receiver after building tube kit separates for years. I love it because it had everything; class A section plus a great tuner section.
Luxman
Marantz 19
Tanberg

Harman Kardon 960
Pioneer 727
Advent 300
McIntosh 1900
Harmon Kardon 930