The true Audiophile system of the mid to late 1950's surpasses in quality of audio reproduction the "state-of-the art" digital system in use today. Tube amplifiers, based on the Williamson stereo design, and others, together with reel-to-reel tape decks were the standard for recording and playback. Modernly, recording engineers try to imitate the 1950's recordings using digital equipment. Unfortunately, without much success. Audiophiles in the 1950's - 1960's had many choices of speakers, tube amplifiers, preamplifiers, turntables, all made specifically for the Audiophile market. Most of that equipment is scarce and expensive today. As a matter of economics, the audio and music industries require periodic renewal to survive. That means "new state-of-the-art" products to sell to a new generation. Perhaps the "new generation" doesn't require audio perfection with the forms of music popular today. Who can hear the difference in the dynamics of a recording played at 108dB??. All of the new forms of media lack the dynamics of well recorded 1950's performances. Hi-Fi sound never "got close to where it is now", it far surpassed where we are now 50 years ago and everything since has tried to replicate the peak once reached.
