Favorite H H Scott Tube Integrated Amplifier

Just a FYI, I have run into a variety of audio dealer people who tell me there is no way my old Scott can hold up to ANY new equipment, so I have had a $1200 Jolida 302 tube amp here and a $800ish Rotel integrated ss amp in a AB it just isn't happening - the Scott sounds so much better - same source, same interconnects, same speakers... I tell these same people this and they still say I am wrong. I even called my turntable mfg today on another subject and after asking about my system he also told me to throw out my old Scott and get a Creek integrated. It is amazing to me how people can have such opinions without even hearing the thing they want to throw away. Their arrogance makes it that much more absurd. Again, my background is in actually playing music, but if all this is true, why are vintage guitar amps or effect devices, analog synthesizers... so sought after, even by pro musicians who can afford almost anything?

The better vintage equipment has stood the test of time. There was good and mediocre stuff in the vintage era as well, but the dreck has long since fallen by the wayside.
Time will tell if people will still be looking for Jolida and Rotel pieces 30 to 40 years from now. Like the people who designed the Linn Sondek, I think that at Scott they designed around the idea that listening was much more important than specs. Fortunately, they also emphasized build quality so we can enjoy some real music decades later.

I owned a Scott 70b or 72b or something like that, as well as Golden Tube amps, Jolida's, and other BARGAIN PRICED TUBE AMPS. The Scott "stock" was good to a point, and enjoyable for cheep nonetheless. Still, it couldn't compete with the other amps!
HOWEVER, in defese of the old Scott, it did sound better than AT LEAST ONE JOLIDA 502A I owned, that I bought with some horrible tubes in it! Once you get regular good tube stock for it, it's no contest however. The Scotts parts are so old and antiquated I presume, the sound isn't so refined or anything. But, still better than cheap midfi any day!
Tubes is goooooooood.

Some vintage components portray the musical truth outstandingly well. In addition to my own Scott 222c, I bought a broken, tubeless LK-48 chassis for a few bucks and gave it to a electronic tech who could fix it. He reports the same thing I heard - an absolutely magical and often startling "you are there" quality to lead vocals and lead instruments. When he first tested it, his wife in the next room asked him "are you playing drums in there?" I don't find the old Scotts to be the last word on transparency, speed, or background detail, but what they do well stands up to the best I've ever heard. I think you would have to spend much more money to better them with modern gear.

Is vintage tube gear smoother-sounding than modern tubes?
There are preferences on both sides of the old versus new debate. People who like the newer stuff often talk about more detailed presentation and extended frequency response, while those who like the older stuff cite an elusive musicality, flow, smoothness, and lack of harshness that may be tough to find in modern gear. What are the differences?