Amps from the 1980's -- What gear holds up sonically? Reliably?

Hegman Hapi preamp .

80s is vintage? Much of my gear is 50s, 60s. 

All seperates, btw. 

Daveyf, I would rather own and listen to a McIntosh tube amp any day over a Audio Research tube amp. Yes that is my preference and I have heard AR amps along with MAC amps. That why I can't see your AR amp being the cream of the crop from the 80's. just because you like it a lot doesn't mean everyone else thinks it's the best. 

Just to get back on track, the 80's had great items made from many companies. In fact, To think of it, I think some of my favorite stuff was made in the late 50's, 60's, and early 80's. One of my best picks is the Threshold SA line: even though I'm not necessarily a SS person, the SA amps sound so pure and musical. They were made in the early 80's. Conrad Johnson's Premier 1, 4, & 5 amps are still highly sought after in Hong Kong for they special sound. They are not as accurate as other amps but they are very open, musical, euphoric, and magical when set up correctly. Amps that are the most accurate do not necessarily make magic in a system. The Rogers LS3/5a for example is a speaker made from the 70's - 80's and it is definitely not the most revealing monitor I have heard by far. But I once heard it paired with Cary 805 amps and a tube preamp and till this day, I still feel it was one of the best, engaging, super large sounds I ever had the pleasure of hearing. It was an experience not a listening session. System 

Well lowtunes, i’m not going to dispute your choice but I also lived for a few years with a ARC d115 mk2, very nice as well and I loved the mono M100s from that Era too. It isn’t necessarily about individual components but putting together components for a musically satisfying system/presentation.