What brand was better than it is today?

Ihasaguy.....I have a Dual 1219 on my 3rd system that looks like it was made yesterday and sounds better tan new due to upgrades
M

Nearly every vacuum tube manufactured today is inferior to the originals, many from the 40's and 50's.  They had secret metallurgy that is not available in today's tubes.  Also, the manufacturers of most tubes have inferior quality control and technology that the old tube makers had.

@fleschler 

Well, that is to be expected, I think.  Vacuum tubes were in their day essential to the consumer electronics industry as well as to the defense industry.  For whom would it be profitable today to carry on such aggressive research into a technology all but obsolete outside of audiophilia?  The Russians carried on a bit longer than the rest of the world due to dependency on their aging equipment.  I have, incidentally, worked as an engineer on Russian military equipment.  It was extremely robust and reflected some of highest levels of engineering work I have ever seen.  I just re-tubed by preamp with brand new Russian tubes and I think they sound pretty good!

Nostalgia has power.  40+ years of audio and "moments" of great audio stick in my mind...these include many of the manufacturers mentioned above as I wandered about the US audio salons of yore, and many living rooms and now some dedicated sound rooms of today.  Sheer musicality did live in some of those old systems striking emotions and wonder...of what I'd experienced up until then.  That said, if someone let me time travel from the best of the best of each decade, and plunked me down in front of my present system and many of yours, I'm certain...I would simply be overcome and speechless.  We grow with the process of betterment.  It is exciting and keeps everything fresh.  More peace, Pinthrift  

@pinthrift : Amen to that!