20 Year Old Amplifiers compared to 2017

I just was given a Denon AVR-2805 for Christmas. It replaced my entry level Yamaha RX350 from the mid-80s. The feature I appreciate the most: "Pure Direct mode was designed for those who want the ultimate in sonic quality by shutting down all unused circuitry for the cleanest and most precise stereo sound from any audio component in your system." and the AL24 Processor which makes even low-res MP3 files sound like 24 bit.

I always steered clear of anything but a 2-ch Stereo, and quite frankly, I doubt if I will ever utilize anything but 2 ch. Pure Direct Stereo. I have no desire to watch Blu-Ray videos with 7.1 surround, or have it perfectly equalize my 1975 circa Advents. But, to the question of whether older electronics sound as good as modern? I would say, vintage still rules the roost.

My 37-year-old amp and receiver have been serviced. Fairly inexpensive process. Hopefully will last another 30. And they're far prettier than today's amps/receivers. That said, I recently switched to a newer Class D amp because it has ARC, but I will occasionally use the old ones.

Oh, and while I'm making the case, double-blind listening tests are NOT scientific for the simple and very true reason that it takes at least days and more likely weeks or even months to get a handle on how an amp or other electronic component sounds

I have at least two problems with this idea.
1. A test that's good enough and scientific enough for every other field, including those involving life and death, is not good enough for audio?
2. If it really does take that long, then the differences would have to be so ridiculously minuscule as to be nonexistent or irrelevant.

Aardbear, I'm a CJ fan; I have a PV 10A and a PV 12L. The vintage CJ preamps are very special, which is why they have high asking prices. CJ claimed they had "The golden glow" back in the 90's, but since ARC got better press, they went neutral to compete.

There are considerable differences between ARC and CJ vintage; in regard to power amps, CJ is warm and mellow, while ARC is analytical, almost SS. A CJ pre and ARC amp works for me.

Reconditioned CJ is better (Better meaning a specific sound) than the new CJ's.

I have long wanted to upgrade my aged aragon28k preamp becos it doesnt hv balanced out and ht bypass.
2yrs ago, with a budget of usd12k, i went to many dealers and demoed against current highflyers, viz. Ayre kx5, accuphase, mbl， jeff roland, ml 326s. I found that either my aragon sounded better or same.
I finally bought a simaudio 740p without audition only based on reviews becos no stock.
Sold the 740p after 3months.
Guess what? My aragon 28k sounded far superior. Better soundstage, transients, transparent, speed, punchy and crisp.
So, sadly, after 25yrs, I’m still stuck with the aragon28k which is worth maybe just usd300 used.

I am now looking at T+A, Gryphon, ARC .... but i'm skeptical even the current usd$20k preamp would sound superior to the aragon28k

Thanks for a great thread!  I am new to the world of higher end sound, but  wanted to thank the folks on this forum and Polk’s, for steering me toward a well used power amp. A year ago, I bought a pair of LSIM 707‘s, hoping to re-create the wonderful sound I heard on a friends high-end system when I was in my teens (in the 60’s).  Unfortunately, my home theater amp, a Denon AVR 1909, was not up to the task, so I put the speakers on ice until I could afford a better amp.   Earlier this year, I picked up a Parasound 2100 preamp, and as Christmas approached, I decided to see how much power amp I could get  in the ballpark of $1000.  I liked what I had heard about the Parasound A21,  but I  didn’t  have $2500 to spend on a new one, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to buy a used amp (even if I could’ve found a used A21 for close to a thousand dollars, which I couldn’t).  I decided to go with the A21’s junior sibling, the 2250.   Around that time, I started to hear  about the old McCormack DNA series on the Polk and Agon blogs.   I found a 20-year old DNA-1 Deluxe on sale for $1000, and decided to grab it and compare it to the new 2250.   Long story short:  The 2250 is a nice amp, but the old, dusty DNA-1 blew it away!  The new Parasound went back yesterday, and the McCormack will be staying (maybe someday I’ll pay for SMC or CJ to do the upgrade, but for now the stock Deluxe is all I need).  I’m a very happy camper, and am glad I listened to you all.  20-year-old amps are indeed worth the money, and more. If and when I  want to take my system to the next level, I suspect I will look into an even better pair of speakers.  But for now, I am just planning to enjoy a new level of audio for a while, rebuild my music library, and smile. Thanks, and have a Happy New Year!