Is vintage audio better? I'm starting to look at current (modern) and non-US audio.

If you mean top level, with very few possible exceptions solid state is firmly European. As for tube equipment, there are great brands in the US, Canada, Europe, Japan and Allnic in South Korea.
Vintage is another subject.

Yeah - was hesitant to mix the discussion parameters.  Vintage vs Modern  or foreign vs domestic audio.  Both are open for discussion.

You can easily recreate the sound of vintage medium-sized domestic gear (note: NOT Vintage Western Electric/Altec/JBL from theater plunder) sound by using vintage tube circuits, tube rectification, oil capacitors, carbon composite resistors, selection of capacitors to roll off lows and highs, and target a plate operating point for richness in 2nd order harmonics. You dont even need to spend a fortune hunting for vintage parts.  Of course you cant resell them to collectors and make a fortune.

Has Europe caught up and passed brands like Audio Research, Mcintosh,...

Has the UK/EU ever been behind the US is Hi-FI products?