When Was The Audio Golden Age?

To me, the "golden age" of hi-fi began after WWII and especially with the advent of the LP. Marantz tube gear, big Bozaks, KLH 9s. Raw drivers, DIY, and pretty hands on. (Of course, there is the pre-war WE and Klangfilm equipment, originally designed for theater). 

I got into this "hobby" in around 1970, coinciding with the dawn of the first generation of "high end" (a term I think Harry Pearson claimed to coin). 

As to what is the "greatest" era for gear, I think that depends on what you are after. 

When were Snell A/IIIs made??

I’ll tell ya what; it sure as crap ain’t today.
When a depressingly high number of people think they’re “listening to music” on a f**king cell phone speaker the size of an M&M, or think, “ok, now I’m really listening to music when I stream data over the internet through a Bluetooth speaker the size of a golf ball,” we are definitely not in the Golden Age of audio today.
The fact that there are always a few people who are seriously interested in maximized audio fidelity and/or rich people who can afford high-end stuff is irrelevant to the larger picture. Good for them. They are a sliver of the total population and the other 90% are punishing their senses (in the case of these uber-rude dum-dums that subject others to their noise pollution in public places, punishing others as well) with shrill noise pollution spitting out of a cell phone speaker, not “listening to music.”
Actual music being played in a physical space used to be normal.
Now “normal” is something that vacillates between indistinct, shrill noise pollution screaming out of a cell phone speaker and crap sound from streaming data through a little speaker that fits inside a purse.

The golden age was the first of such, followed by the silver, bronze, heroic and iron ages. The term denotes times of plenty with no strife. Audio seems to be immune from that, going it’s own way and has quite the road to travel. I refuse to think it all lay in the past as that’s too nostalgic for me. That’s vanity.

All the best,
Nonoise

The ratio S.Q. and price has increased meaning we can afford better system at a lower price. It is a golden era.

But musical classical education which existed in some school 60 years ago dont exist anymore.

On this aspect it is not a "golden era" ... For sure ...😊

Then we must define the acoustic perspective from which we spoke : musical or gear focused...

For those like me who are very centered on acoustics,  Roman Vitruvius using Greek architecture acoustics methods, the same which will gave us Hemlhotz resonators for example already lived in a "golden era" ...😊