What brand was better than it is today?

@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!

I’d give a nod to the old Sherwood and Fisher electronics, generally but not all tubes. I still have some of my older Sansui equipment, AU-111 tube amp, TU-9900 tuner, SR-929 turntable still making good music with a little TLC once in a while. I wouldn’t expect 50+ years of service from today’s offerings. 

It’s just capitalism, in a free market the inefficient loose market share or go out of business, new more efficient businesses take their place. I just went to Axpona there are plenty of small businesses out there offering quality audio products.