Not many brands I have a hate on for, or that I don't think offer something...problem is I hear different than a lot of people so some brands just aren't my cup of tea.

I can say that I despise most amps and speakers that would be categorized as "warm". To me this is just distortion-induced fakery that doesn't sound anything like live music, no matter how pleasant it might be. There are a few exceptions and being on the slight warm side of neutral is tolerable for me, but I find warm gear mostly dull and not real.

There are few brands I can think of off that "can do no wrong" in my eyes. Arcam might be one, but they try to stay in a certain performance and price range and don't have any "if you won the Powerball lottery, what gear would you buy" stuff. Limited range of products, but I always find them impressive, if not the absolute best in a price range.

Paradigm, Axiom, PSB, etc...I like their speakers below $1000. Above that and I find there's only a few worthwhile models, and they are never on my short list of recommendations. These guys are better entry level options IMO.

I've never heard a Bryston I didn't like either (and I know a lot of people hate Bryston - but not me).

Parasound is one brand I've never been impressed with. Dunno why...just not for me I guess. B&W is hard for me to categorize, some models I like, some I absolutely hate. They're hit or miss.

Meh, I find the older I get, the less brand loyal I am. I could care less. There's dozens of brands I'd be happy to own.