"Best" 80's HiFi System

Best Audio Systems from the 1980's:

Entry-Level:

Speakers: Boston Acoustics A40
Stereo Receiver: NAD 7120
Turntable: Technics SL-B1 + Shure Magnetic Cartridge
Cables: Kimber-Kable (Entry-Level)

Mid-Level (and this has resembled MY system, to a point, that is after I have upgraded from my first system (which I have assembled back in 1983)):

Speakers: KEF Reference 102/w KUBE (and I actually owned these)
Stereo Receiver: Nakamichi SR-4A
Turntable: Thorens TD-147 + Grado Cartridge (of equal vintage, and price approximate)
Compact Disc Player: Mission DAD-7000
Cables: Audioquest

High-End:

Speakers: Infinity IRS Beta
Power Amplifiers: Mark Levinson No. 20.5 Monoblocks (Ribbon Towers) + Mark Levinson No. 23 (Woofer Towers)
Preamplifier: Mark Levinson No. 26 (w/Phono Board Installed)
Turntable: Oracle Delphi Mk V + JMW 10.5i + Benz Phono Cartridge
Cables: Audioquest, Cardas, MIT (take your pick -- or make your own pick)

To me, these set-ups pretty much represent the best Hi-Fi the 1980's had to offer, and to me, they also represented the golden age of audio as far as I am concerned.

--Charles--

How about a Nakamichi Dragon tape deck or a Revox reel to reel or linear tracking turntable? I thought those were pretty cool in the 80s.

Here is one I put together. An Accuphase C200 preamp, with an Accuphase E202 in amp only mode powering a pair of KEF 103/3 Reference speakers. Sources were a Concept 2QD Turntable and a Sony CDP that I just can't remember right now. It sounded wonderful to me.

KEF 105.2 speakers
Classe DR9 amp
MFA Magus preamp
musical Concepts Epoch cd
Tara Space and Time cable

@ Mateored:

Yep, I remembered the Nakamichi Dragon too. I never owned one though, because they were expensive back then. But I did loved that deck, though.

I did purchase a Nakamichi Tape Deck back in the late 1980's. I bought the mid-priced BX-300 back in 1987, and used it for more than 15 years.

And about the ReVox Linear Tracking Turntable?!?!?! I actually knew someone personally who had one. My boss had one in his system. And that was one COOL ASS turntable. That bad boy sounded REAL GOOD too. He had his hooked up to a Hafler Preamplifier and Power Amplifier, Klipsch Cornwall Speakers and an NAD Tuner. That was a great system too. Too bad he wasn't the one who inspired me to get into this great hobby that we love so much.

No.... my second cousin did that decades ago. I didn't remember what his components was, but it was definitely SOTA for the early 1970's, and he a Reel-To-Reel Tape Deck in his system too. He was a Drill Sargent in the Army for some 20 something years, and he got his system from overseas when he was in the service.

Talking about going back down to memory lane.

--Charles--