Amplifiers:A Keeper for Life. Do you know of one ?

Amber Series 70. Stupid good for the money. My 22-yr-old 70wpc still keeps beating all comers. I'm ordering in an Onkyo A-9555 integrated. We shall see.

It's obviously neutral from the get-go, but deceptively, seductively, unfailingly musical and compels you to listen to the music.

I'm not saying it's the best. It just does what it does, which is what it's supposed to do.

You'll think I'm crazy but for me it's a 1981 Heathkit AA-1600. It's an A/B, rated at 120 wpc but probably 180 (it weighs over 40 lbs) and it's simply unbelievable. I picked this thing up in the used section of a local audio store. It's 30 years old and its performance reminds me (strongly) of the Jeff Rowland Design Group amps of the early '90s.

It's dead quiet, dead neutral, and reasonably fast (linear out to at least 150KHz). So far it has never betrayed me for resolution, inner detail, tonal balance, musicality, pace, noiselessness, reliability, or you name it. I know Heath has a great reputation and history, but I have no idea why a 1981 power amp would be so *right*.