For Old Timers who experienced the "Golden Age" of Audio of the 60s and 70s.

Assertions of the superiority of contemporary equipment vs. vintage equipment, such as have been made in some of the posts above and in many past threads on this kind of topic, often tend to be based on what IMO is an unfair and flawed comparison. What contemporary equipment should be compared with is vintage equipment that **today** sells for similar prices.  Not a comparison between, for example, a modern $50K system and a system comprised of vintage components that can be bought today for perhaps a few percent of that amount, or even less.

And on the basis of that kind of comparison, based on extensive experience I have had (mainly during the 1990s) with vintage tube components of the 1950s and 1960s, there are countless pieces I could cite from the likes of H. H. Scott, Pilot, Fisher, Brook, Radio Engineering Laboratories, McIntosh, Marantz, and others, that sell today for a few hundred to a few thousand dollars, that if in top condition and/or well restored I would easily consider to be competitive with (and in many cases superior to) their modern counterparts that go for similar prices **today.**

And even in the upper echelons of the price spectrum, there are reasons why Western Electric speaker drivers from the 1930s, Tannoy speaker drivers from the 1940s and later decades, Brook power amplifiers from the 1950s, and some Marantz tube products from the 1950s and 1960s sell for tens of thousands of dollars today. In some cases for MANY tens of thousands of dollars. And the reasons are certainly not just nostalgia. In fact there are at least a few of our most knowledgeable and experienced members right here at Audiogon who have assembled systems with some of those products, which if we were to hear I would expect would leave many of us envious.

Regards,
-- Al

BDP - yep.

I had one of the first Tympani 1a's, in 1973. What a speaker! Biamped with ARC crossover, modified ST-70's, and solid state monos. The Quad ESL's were just not big enough for me then, or now - so I have several copies of the new crop of Quads.

The new Quads need serious modding to sound their best, but when they do - they are no more musical than the ESL 57's!!!!! Another octave top and bottom, but no more musical. It's the electronics that have really shifted up, now that designers know how to use complementary push-pull pairs. And modern high end caps and resistors. And cartridges. Those Supex units were wonderful, but beside a modern higher end Koetsu?? Not so much.

My experience is that vintage equipment varies a great deal. 

For the most part, 40 to 50 year old turntables are rarely competitive, but there are some exceptions. 40-50 year old arms are almost always not with the postage to mail it to you, and forget about most 40-50 year old cartridges, though I would still grab a Shure V15 Type 3 with a modern stylus. 

I would not touch a 40 -50 year old preamp, but I think there were some phenomenal tuners 40-50 years ago. Speakers? with incredibly rare exception, I would pass on anything 40-50 years old.

To sum it up, I'll take a 301, with a modern arm and cartridge, a vintage Mac amp, modern pre, a Mac MR71 tuner, and modern speakers

Al, your 'todays cost' comparison does much toward relativity. There are vintage products that can be reconditioned that will play well against modern equipment at similar price point. Not saying I have experience with many of them, however I hold my Dynaco ST-70 as one of them, recognizing the limited power handling capabilities of this amp.  

Yup, I was there in the late 60s and early 70s during my late teen and early 20s years.  For members who hail from the Philly area, there was Music and Sound Limited (M&S) located in the Jenkintown and later the Willow Grove areas.  Remember Mel and Nel, ... the self-proclaimed musicians and inventors?? M&S carried many of the high end brands mentioned above.  In particular, I recall the Maggie Typany panels, the Infinity Servostatics and the Quad ESLs.  Of course, who could forget the early Crown and ARC lines.  

Unfortunately, I was too young and broke to actually buy any of the high-end stuff, but was an M&S groupie.  Was able to pick up some used Crown gear, Infinity 2000a speakers and a Thorens TT.  For what I had, I was in audio heaven.  But compared to my current rig, I think my old set-up sucked air.

@almarg , not sure I understand your comments that the "best of the best" from back then could still meaningfully compete with contemporary very good gear, especially in the speaker space.  I surmise that materials technology alone would put most modern speakers in a place that the old stuff couldn't touch.  

Thanks for the memories. Truly, ... youth is wasted on the young.

BIF