I appreciate the perspectives and insights that were shared by the respondents. I would argue--in accord with some of the views that have been expressed--that there has been an asymptotic approach to live sound. The genius of audio designers and manufacturers has gotten us as close as can be to the "real thing." To get any closer would entail attending a live performance. Reproduced sound can certainly be powerfully palpable, but it remains at best illusory. Once it has hit that limit, the age of the equipment that produces that illusion becomes irrelevant.
Does old-fashioned necessarily mean out of date?
Having recently purchased an amplifier that I expect would not command the attention it might have a decade or so ago, it leads me to the following observation and question.
While technological innovation in the design and construction of audio equipment continues admirably unabated, I would assert that there are venerable products still being manufactured whose qualities seem to remain not only undiminished but unsurpassed regardless of the "cutting edge" products they are juxtaposed to. I believe that one such product is the Ars-Sonum Filarmonia XP Universum. It is meticulously--in fact, lovingly--constructed. It utilizes high quality components assembled in an effective architecture to produce its modest but robust output of 28 wpc. Most importantly, the sound it produces, in conjunction with the right equipment, can only be described as glorious.
So what I am wondering is whether there are others who agree that the best way to go forward sometimes is to stay deliberately still. And if so, to which pieces of equipment would this thinking apply.
Thanks.