Is your now then?

I was into audio since the 70's but my first quality system was in the early 90's. That system consisted of a Yamaha B1 power amp, Superphon preamp, & Empire troubadour turntable. What impressed me the most about that system was how well it imaged & I didn't get that until I changed the speakers from small Ohm's to Epos 14's. Suddenly, I had an actual soundstage in front of me. That system is long gone but soundstage accuracy is still important to me, which my current system does very well.   

What was your first significant experience with quality audio (then) and how does it compare with your present system (your now).
Do you think we strive to return to the past and remain in those influential times? Are our choices psychological, nostalgic even....?

God no- on all counts! As a kid in the 70's I spent endless hours researching and shopping, eventually building a classic "vintage" system of JBL, Kenwood, Pioneer, and Technics. This was wonderful for back then and better than anything I heard all through college and for years afterwards.  

Therein comes the problem. In the beginning I was in band, and comparing components to real live acoustic instruments. 20 years later the system itself had somehow become my standard. It wasn't nostalgia, I still had it! 

When shopping my ears were so attuned to this sound I was actually turned off by gear I now am quite certain was actually a whole lot better. Will spare you the gory details of how I eventually broke out of this cycle, and skip to the punchline.  

After buying some much better Linaeum Model 10 speakers it took me a while to find a buyer for the JBL L7 speakers. The ones that had replaced my vintage L25 Jubals. Many weeks went by listening to the Linaeum, long enough for that JBL sound to be a distant memory.  

When a buyer turned up and I had to hook the JBL up to let him hear, the volume was turned way down low at first but even so it was like an ice pick in my ear. No kidding. Physical pain. The buyer was a co-worker, and I was earnestly trying to talk Ron out of buying them.

That is how much disdain I have for systems then vs now. Now is so much better, it is like the Enterprise Holodeck compared to a flickering old silent movie. No going back. Never again. 

There are usually latent motivations, such as a connection to a parent, or saving money, that make such discussions fraught with disagreement. My rule has been nostalgia is the enemy of SOTA. I like the feel of nostalgia, but I love the sound of contemporary systems. I have tried a fair bit of nostalgia gear, and kept none of it. Usually it lasted in the rig 1-2 days, as the performance was so compromised. Today is not about hearing worse sound from back then, imo.  

ghprentice, the average audiophile has no idea how many such levels there are. Several years ago I stopped trying to count the performance levels. There is no limit to improving systems. I have broken through so many "sound barriers" that I no longer pay attention. But, like you, if I make change, it must be perceptually dramatic and I never go backwards for any length of time. That was then, and this is now, and now - if you are willing to go beyond budget audio -  sounds a LOT better. YMMV (Remember when people used to post that, too, rather than try to impress the world with biased definitive statements?)    :) 

I struggle to think of a single speaker from 15+ years ago, aside from something truly exotic, not just popular, that I would wish to own. I wouldn't listen to it. I do not show love to pieces of equipment; I use them and dispense with them. Never had one complain about it yet! 

As with many others, my first entry in to audio was back in high school with a Technics receiver, and old Garrard turntable, a Sony reel-to-reel and Pioneer cassette deck and JBL speakers. As I went to Grad school in the late 80's I really got into what was then considered high-end audio -- Thiel speakers, SOTA turntable, Klyne pre-amp, PS Audio 200CX Amp, Nakamichi Dragon Cassette, Sony 707ES CD player and Cardas cables that cost more than my entire high school set up. This system served me well for many years but as settled down and started a family, career, etc. I essentially abandoned this hobby (where would I find time to just sit and listen??). 

With working from home for the last 1 1/2 years with this Covid crisis, I actually got back into this hobby. Remarkably, I was able to find many on the components that I used to own -- Thiel Speakers, Klyne pre-amp, PS Audio 200 Delta amp -- all of which had been updated by the manufacturer or reputable technicians -- and I was able to restore my SOTA turntable back to good order. Wow -- I realized what I had been missing out for many years. Over the past six months or so, I have been getting into tube based equipment and have focused solely on upgrading my components with used (I guess sometimes referred to as vintage) equipment (Audible Illusions, Sonic Frontiers, Modwright modified Sony SACD player, Linn Sondek LP12, Threshold S/300 Amp) initially because of the sonic bang for the buck...but I realized that (as the original poster asked) that there was another benefit -- that of returning me to those days when I really got into this hobby. As I put on Abbey Road or one of my original CDs, I am transported back to those Boston evenings when I had far fewer cares and I could just sit and listen to the latest Chesky records releases for hours. I think that for this reason (and the economics) I likely will likely live a little bit in the past. Don't get me wrong, my system sounds tonally accurate to my ears but I think for many folks, including myself, this audio obsession is about more than simply seeking out sonic purity -- I think we all have that record, riff, musical interlude that transcends the equipment and takes us to our "happy place". As I read all of the debates about this component or that tweak or the other, I remind myself that it is all about enjoying the music!

1972, when I was living in Manhattan: AR 2A speakers, Garrard Zero-100 turntable, Sony receiver. 
Since then, I have owned a ton of equipment. including three
pairs of Maggies, three SACD player's, both the original and the 
new Technics SL-1200 turntables, amps from B&K, Adcom
and Conrad-Johnson, and a prized Apt-Holman pre-amp.