Rotel ra-840bx3, NAD 7020e, pioneer SX series or other vintage 1980 to 1980 made amplifier best for b&w speakers?
spacemissing
You are on the right track. Any amplifier will work. The trick is to find an older amplifier in good enough condition. Many of them have problems that will require professional attention. I would look for Harman/Kardon, NAD, Pioneer, Kenwood, Sansui, Sherwood, and Rotel.
Lance
The main problem with Vintage amplifiers is that they are not all in the same condition...Capacitors, resistors wear out over time also a lot depends on how well the unit was cared for and used ie proper ventilation not overly pushed on a regular basis etc...Also what the environmental and storage conditions were..and most of the time your not aware of any history for the component...That being said if you need vintage equipment or are willing to refurbish the unit with new parts and don't like whats available in the new market...all else being equal I would take the Rotel myself but for resale value the Pioneer refurbished would probably bring a higher price especially with wood side panels, as the demand is higher. Others to take a look at would be Tandberg, Denon some of the Nakamichi units with higher power and stasis amps, other NAD with higher power...A lot depends on what your room is like and how close you sit to the speakers, how many seating positions you have etc... but my experience is that for my use I need at least 40 watts RMS per channel to be satisfied and prefer 50 to 60 watts RMS for psychological reasons and to give me a little lea way just in case I decide to turn it up.
Daniel K
Any normal receiver will work fine with your speakers as long as the impedance of the speakers is not lower than the minimum load the receiver is rated for. That rating is usually written on the back of the receiver near the speaker connections. Which receiver sounds best to you is very subjective so I would not really worry about it too much. Even a good quality modern receiver will work fine with your speakers. http://www.outlawaudio.com/products/rr2160.html
inconsolate61
Mid-market 80's amps aren't exactly considered classics. They were mass produced, and although they all uniformly had class c amp tech of some sort, were not the hand assembled and soldered classic ones sought out by aficionados. They are available cheap enough, but the question is, were they good enough to spend money rebuilding? Usually the answer is no. Most "inspected" examples may have had their pots sprayed out, a few caps replaced, but thats about all. Unless I wanted something for the basement and knew the owner and somewhat of the units history, I would probably not invest in one myself.
Eddi
The problem with buying vintage electronics, especially amps, is that they do burn out. Let me recommend a new amp to you that I purchased last year on Amazon because my little Jolida tube amp was not big enough for my new great room. I left a review over there -- It even has a Stereophile recommendation. It is very rare to find new equipment at a low enough price point that does not sound overly "electronic"- Music Hall - A15.3 Integrated Amp It puts out 50 watts per channel but it really should be rated higher. You can find one on Amazon for $400 (returns) You can read my full review here. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R2YV92A10IHRTC/ref=cm_cr_dp_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B00D6N8X52