Old Amps that can still Kick Butt

Circuit refinements are rare, and the effect on sonic end points that the given amplifier circuitry that is new can deliver -- is highly debatable at best.

This statement is incorrect.

The thing that's been plaguing amplifier design for the last 60-70 years is distortion caused by feedback- due to limitations in circuit design that limits how much feedback can be applied. There are things that have happened in the last 20-25 years that have dealt that problem a serious blow! Insufficient feedback is why amps get harsh when you crank up the volume. This problem is literally why tube amps are still being made.

I have an old Adcom 535L that still does a decent job. It's a mid-fi amp for sure and doesn't kick butt out of it's class, but I got it in 1993 and it still works well and really brings speakers to life. Used, it's worth maybe $200, tops, and there's no reason to part with it. (And 

Has the OP ever had anything but older, vintage gear in his rig? What is the context of the comment in regard to performance? What amps have been directly compared to arrive at such a proud conclusion? Just curious!  :) 

This certainly has not been my experience. Starting in about 1980 when I took out my first loan to buy the then new revolutionary Pass designed Threshold 500. Then 20 years later after auditioning many amps and bought a Pass x350, which in every respect bested the Threshold (jaw droppingly so), and the switching over to an Audio Research Reference 160s. In each case the previous generation definitely could not kick butt in comparison to the new one... each generation has had much higher current... the butt kicking part). There would never be going back and a bit of nostalgia. Each generation has absolutely trounced the previous. Also, I think accounting for the time value of money, the investment I made in each amp was probably roughly the same.

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If the is a place you could feel an amp held up over time would be in a tube amp, where there was a certain sweetness (not accuracy) that was particularly appealing. Or if you are not actually appreciating better more accurate performance. Over the last fifty years solid state more closely approached the positive attributes of tube gear and tube gear more closely approached the position attributes of solid state gear, converging on best possible sound... as refinements in material science and component construction and selection will continue. I suppose the state of the art will level out at some point, but it sure has not yet.

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I guess it is great that some people feel this way. This is how I got the same price in trade in as I paid for my Pass x350 16 years earlier. I got a ridiculous amount of money back for my Threshold as well, on a sound / dollar basis.

ROWLAND 8T.