I am another satisfied SU-7700 (and SU-7300) user and could highly recommend the units.
However, I would rate the SU-8077 higher quality-wise.
Technics' best vintage amplifier definitely was the SU-8099, and the 8077 is only two stages below it (in between is the 8088). If optics don't matter, I would prefer the SU-8077, next the SU-7700, then the SA-600 (although there's not much difference between the latter two).
This is my subjective ranking of the most common
vintage Technics amplifiers that were built before 1985:
SU-8099
SU-8088
SU-V8
SU-V909
SU-V9
SU-8077
SU-8600
SU-8080 (not sure about this one; there's been a lot of controversial talk going on about its sound)
SU-7700
SU-7300
They are all recommendable, but I regard the SU-8099 as the best vintage integrated amplifier by Matsush!ta. There were of course a lot more models, but I intentionally did not list them.
For receivers, I may recommend the SA-1000 (lol) down to the SA-500, and from the older series, the SA-5460/5470 up to the SA-5760/5770.
Edit: congratulations, Diablo! The 8077 is a keeper! Here are the insides:
click!
If you like the design, you'll be satisfied with it. Controls may need a little cure with De-Oxit, but that's usually a piece of cake to do.
Edit2:
@ miniman: the silver V9 is extraordinarily rare in Europe. It was mainly sold like this in the U.S. and in Japan. There were also silver V9 models in Europe… …
fifty. No more.
The V909 was not available at all, neither in black nor silver.
Edit3:
@ 1TUFSS: while refurbishing, I have hooked up an 8.2 Ohm load to the SU-7700 and tested its output power on a 1 kHz sine wave. It was
exactly 50 watts (maybe a tiny little bit more). But the 7700 has a massive power supply (20'000µF filter capacitance, 450W power transformer), so it can deliver a lot more for a short time period. And these are
true 50 watts, not modern wannabe-watties.
