What's up with the price of Vintage equipment?

The same thing that's up with Bring A Trailer.com- too many idiots with more money than brains willing to bid average cars up to ridiculous prices. Same thing that's up with the used HiFi sites we all know, charing, er, gouging, for 20 year old, worn out, average sounding stuff. Until people stop paying their prices, they'll keep gouging. 

I’ve mentioned this before, but I’ll do it again... I went through a vintage phase a couple years ago, got a Marantz, Harman Kardon, and Pioneer receiver. All of them had been professionally recapped and tuned... All of them were pretty to look at... I called the Marantz "functional art." But, it was more of an art piece rather than a great amp, when compared to even modest new gear. I put them all up against even Marantz’s little nr1200 and it blew them all away on every sonic attribute AND has all the modern functionality and hookups.

That said, I still love my Epi 100 speakers from the same era, though I've put in a new capacitor/crossover and of course refoamed the woofer (mid-late 70s).  Nothing I've heard speakerwise has convinced me to part with them; everything sounds good on 'em, and they're not picky about set up with that widely dispersive, sweet tweeter that still manages to image even far off axis... 

If i could buy speakers i will buy them... Good choice...

 Alas! no more room for me for the incoming future...

That said, I still love my Epi 100 speakers from the same era, though I've put in a new capacitor/crossover and of course refoamed the woofer (mid-late 70s).  Nothing I've heard speakerwise has convinced me to part with them; everything sounds good on 'em, and they're not picky about set up with that widely dispersive, sweet tweeter that still manages to image even far off axis... 

@deadhead1000 ...Exactly... I often see vintage equipment that was subpar "back then" sell for ungodly amounts. Good call on Not Naming Names... it wasn't Cool to do so "on the sales floor" then and best not to now. Too many sensitive egos...

The oniy "vintage" stuff I kept from the Good Old days are an Early Edition Zeta tone arm and  Luxman PD 300 turntable from 1982 (updated all replaceable electronic parts, reconditioned vacuum system etc...) Both used today in my main system.

I think that's overpriced for the Jap gear.

But some high-end stuff like Audio Research and Krell still holds up for SQ, although not on an exact par.

Perhaps lovers of vintage gear feel nostalgic for the higher levels of distortion and somewhat lower SQ that pertained in the 70s-80s.  Rather like vinyl perhaps.

But how some can say an idler wheel Garrard 301 is as good as a modern TT perplexes me.