sorry to bring up such a dead thread, but i'm curious as well.
I borrowed a kenwood vr-309 HT amp from a friend, and it was terrible. So I went back home and swapped it with my 1974 marantz 2220b, and the music sounded.. well, more like music. MUCH better. I am now using them with the M22tis, a slight better sound than the M3tis, imo.
Now, where on the ladder am I with the 2220b? It sounds plenty good to me, as long as the loudness countour is enabled.
I've set my sights on the NAD C372 though.