20 Year Old Amplifiers compared to 2017

About 20 years ago, I had a Krell KSA-150 that sounded great, first powering a pair of BIC TPR-600s then a pair of B&W 801 Nautilus. I chose it over a Mark Levinson 23.5. Then I had the chance to hear an Ayre V-1, which to my ears sounded more musical. The V-1 was upgraded to a V-1x and then a V-1xe. Each upgrade was audible. Then after a progression of amps, I settled for awhile on a pair of Ayre MX-R Twenties. So, in theory, the MX-Rs should sound Significantly better than the 20 year old Krell. I wish I could directly compare the two.

I can't subscribe to the notion that all competently measuring amplifiers sound the same. Why?? Because my ears tell me differently. Way back 20 years ago a Krell amp sounded quite different from a Mark Levinson. Just recently, I had the chance to hear both Ayre and D'Agostino amplifiers in my system. Same result. They sound Significantly different. I always have my wife, as a second set of ears, confirm what I hear. Since I know what I'm changing, I give her the opportunity to hear blindly. I won't tell her what I change. I simply ask her to describe what she hears. About 80% of the time we agree on what we hear.

@plutos 
I agree with you 100%. I hear the differences between amps, preamps, tube sets. And measurements aren't everything.

Dan D'Agostino, in his Stereophile interview, said, point blank, that some of his Krell offerings measured better than his current stuff. He specifically chose sound quality over measurements in his highly acclaimed breed of new Momentum components.

There's a re-capped Krell FPB-300 listed on Audiogon right now...

@stringreen 
Up until a couple years ago, I had an Ayre V-1xe. It was very musical. I'd argue that for around $4K, which is about the used price on this amp, nothing of current production could touch it. I've had to spend quite a bit more money to get better sound.