Is your now then?

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.  

Is my now then? It is now.
My first experience with hi-fi was as a child being taken around Seattle as my parents shopped for a stereo system. This was in the early/middle ‘70s and they eventually acquired a Macintosh ss amp, preamp, tuner and speakers, B&O turntable and Sony cassette deck.
I drove that system hard in my teens, eventually blowing the speakers. Mile Nestorivic, recently moved to the area, swung by the house and retrieved and fixed them.

As I got a bit older, I started paying better attention to what I was hearing music on and had my parents system as my basis for comparison. I learned I like tubes after hearing a Marantz system, and that sound stuck with me.

I bought what I could afford when I was single, and less when I got married. Phase Linear, Carver, (Bob was a client of my father), dahlquist, entry level Nakamichi tape and CD players, “build your own” speakerlab kits (those were fun), etc… always knowing that there was better out there…. Just out of reach.
Fast forward 30 years, divorced and with means, I thought I’d revisit my youth so I purchased a Marantz 7, 8b & 10b, a Thorens td125mkII, along with a modern Marantz sacd-30n that streams as well, and a pair of Klipsch Cornwall IV’s.
To me… it sounds glorious. But I know there is so much better. And there always will be. That’s the nature of the game.

That’s why I purchased a Luxman class a integrated (second hand, arriving tomorrow!).

Because chasing that “ sound in our heads” is also the nature of this game.

thrive!

When I was in college from 1970-74 it was JBL Century 100 speakers. a $400 Pioneer Integrated Amp (can’t remember the model) received as a present, and a Dual turntable. I’ve tried to keep the system simple as possible, adding only a CD player and power conditioner, and upgrades of the original components and wiring.

Mike