Man between two eras

I have vintage 70's Marantz(2252B), 80's/90's Denon(PMA-1080R), 90's Onkyo Integra(A-9711). All are very musical with the Marantz being on the warm side and the Denon and Onkyo Integra on the neutral/warm side. If all conditions are equal, I like the my 70's Marantz 2252B receiver the best with it's very fluid warm punchy sound that can be enjoyed for hours on end without fatigue. I have also used it as a preamp with different amps(Marantz MA-500 monoblocks, Acurus A150, B&K EX4420)with each only enhancing that sweet vintage Marantz sound and adding plenty of headroom.

On the other hand, some of the 80's and early 90's Denon and Onkyo Integra integrated amps are incredible bargains with good build quality and plenty of power to satisfy at low to high volumes.

Some of the following model numbers are Japanese market only and may have a corresponding US model number:

http://audio-database.com/DENON-COLUMBIA/amp/index.html

http://audio-database.com/ONKYO/amp/index2.html
http://audio-database.com/ONKYO/amp/index3.html

Bill

Receivers and small integrateds used to be my crack. I consumed them by the dozens during the 80s. I settled on favorites such as the Luxmans, Tandbergs and Yamahas.

My fave remains the Luxman 1120A receiver. Owned one for years and had a tech bypass the preamp out/power in circuit, bypass the LED power meters and hardwired an LAT International power cord. All of this made it quite formidable. Only drawback is the push spring (small) speaker connectors.

Over 120wpc, slight warmth in the bass, stellar tuner and quite good phono preamp. These should be found for around $400 used and $500 with replaced caps and tech tune-up. Good luck.

I am using a Marantz 2275 driving a pair of Large Advent speakers and the sound is wonderful. I use an indoor antenna and I get a classical station that is 90 miles away with no noise or station flutter. Highly recommended.
violin

See if you can find a clean Dynaco Stereo 70 and PAS 3X. Not a receiver or integrated, but much better sound, better resale value and all within your budget.