Since this is a hobby, it has many faces. There is nothing wrong with admiring the beauty of a particular machine... although to me that would not be the A820 - I myself prefer the Ampex 350. As already stated here, the sound of the A820 leaves plenty to be desired, and most importantly, those fundamental problems can't be fixed by simply replacing a few parts... and you would have to start with its tape heads. One has to pay dearly for all those features. So in that regard a well oiled 350, connected to a good tape preamp will beat it any day.
Among the more modern machines in stock form the ATR-102 will beat the rest both in sound and its raw sex appeal, I think. The Studer is very smooth in its operation, so indeed, it makes a nice transport - with a different head, as mentioned above.