They don't make them like they used to...

Ten years old is not really vintage. Vintage is more often gear from 70's, 60's, 50's, and perhaps early to mid 80's unless the definition has changed without my knowledge.

If there is agreement here then this opens the door wider for answers you may receive to your inquiry.

Yes, there is some extremely wonderful vintage tube gear that current equipment sometimes does not quite match up to on sound quality.

Celebrer makes an observation that I fully agree with. I have written many times on A'gon the phenomenol performance and value of the VT130 vs. virtually all other tube amps that I have heard and owned. This was a sleeper product if there ever was one. And its magazine review/rating meant so little as just about everything these days gets such high praise anyway. This amp, especially with KT88 tubes, conveys harmonic richness and bloom like no other amp that I have heard in this price range.

I regretted selling the VT130 and only did so in persuit of more driveability for Magnepan 3.x speakers. The ARC Classic series amps were so very analytical, uninvolving and downright fatiguing. Following the VT130/VT150 series, the VT100/200 amps were a little more neutral and more extended at the extremes, but these later amps did not have the magic. Amazingly enough, my favorite ARC line stage, the LS5, was of the same time as the VT130/VT150. These with the PH2 phono stage made a most musical system.

I have not heard the very latest ARC products, but I suspect the VT130/VT150 would hold their own to the newer amps and perhaps outperform the newer products in some key areas such as the ones you identify. If you like the VT130, the prize out there really is the VT150 pair. But you can buy a pair of VT130 amps on the used market for much less than the VT150 pair. This would be awesome for a higher efficiency speaker that would benefit from biamping.

John

While "vintage" doesn't seem quite appropriate for a ten year old product, I think the point is there appears to be a regression in sound. Newer gear doesn't sound as musical. I'm sure there are some folks that will say the "musical" piece is the one that is departing more from absolute neutrality, but this has been the arguement for tubes all along. They don't measure real well but they sure do convey the music. One point the Jafox makes that I would not agree with is "The ARC Classic series amps were so very analytical, uninvolving and downright fatiguing." He may feel this way but I sure don't. I have a Classic 60 and in no way would I say that it is fatiguing. I certainly won't say it's the best (since I haven't compared to many other amps, including the VT-130 which may be much better) but I sure could find many other amps (think solid state) that are far more fatiguing than the Classic 60. As alwyas, beauty is in the ear of the listener!