Has this happened to you? How can it be stopped?

Nope.

Old stuff is just that. Old stuff.  I even shake my head at all the people foaming at the mouth for vinyl. I am old enough to remember carting those heavy stupid things each time I moved.  The scratches, the pops, the crackling noise. Nostalgia does not work for me.  Gimme some Qobuz, thanks. 

I have about as much desire for "vintage" equipment as I do for a big 'ol box of floppy discs. 

Simply put, if that old stuff was so great, it would still be manufactured and never updated.  It was the best we had- at the time.  Electrical equipment does not get better over time. It just gets old. 

I have a friend (much younger) who is very much into vintage equipment. I go over to his house for a sit-down. He swoons at the "smooth analog sound".  All I hear is low level hum from bad caps and feedback. Toss in a nice crackly album and he is in heaven.  He has been convinced that old is good.  I smile and indulge him. I am glad a young guy is excited by real audio vs some jacked up Bluetooth portable speaker. 

I won't be fooled, by others or myself. I was there when that crap was new. I too was shiney and new. Now I am dusty and run down as is that equipment. 

As a point of reference, I have a beautiful old floor model Victrola and a ton of 78's.  It sounds amazing- for 1933. I enjoy it for the fact that it is dead tech. I will not try to convince myself that it sounds warm and wonderful- even if it IS pure analog lol.

Yes it has, no it can't, it doesn't, your wife is correct.

That type of vintage gear the op has belongs in the garage only.

It's difficult to impossible to support an emotional argument with a pragmatic approach.  "Vintage" to some is "old" to others.  While "old" is factually correct, it falls short in defining all the elements of our attachment to "vintage" gear.

Owning competent examples from the time period when we discovered the magic of high(er) quality sound in our lives is very rewarding to some.  These were "the best of the best" if the equipment available at the time.  Well, within our price range anyway.  

One contributor expressed his attachment to his vintage car.  Yes,, I  too have a "feel good" moment when I pull the car cover off one of my sixties "hot rods".  Even though my daily driver is quicker, faster, handles better, and, of course, much safer. 

If it makes you smile when the needle drops or the cassette tape spins -- mission accomplished.

I love a lot of the old vintage stuff too, but here are 3 things that would stop me from buying them.   1) Much of the old gear doesn't sound good by today's standards; 2) Much of the stuff you can buy wasn't well taken care of and is only suitable for a "scratch and dent" sale; 3) After 25 years or so the capacitors will have dried out. Many of the ICs and transistors are no longer made so can't be replaced. It could cost you hundreds of dollars to get the stuff repaired if you can find a good tech. Good ones are a dying breed.

I bought an older Adcom amp a few years back and a few of the output transistors went - no longer made. Now, it's an expensive boat anchor.