If you're looking for a solid state receiver, I'm particularly fond of the early 1980's Yamaha receivers. I thought they were excellent; Maybe they were trying extra hard to break into the market. Hifi quality at midfi prices, and now that they're 25 years old, they're a steal. You can find a nice 80 or 120 watt receiver from 1980 for a hundred bucks. For that kind of money, you can afford to go through them and replace the aging caps with Black Gates and still not spend a lot.