How old is too old?

@nonoise and @billpete 

If you're looking to reduce your caffeine intake, consider experimenting with teas.  In approximate order from most to least caffeine/drink:

expresso
coffee
mate and tereré
black tea
green tea
white tea

The first 2 of these get their caffeine from coffee beans; the last 3 from tea plant leaves.  Mate and tereré are produced from yerba mate leaves.  It's a good time of our life for less ambitious explorations.  You might try a variety of these beverages for both flavor & kick.  The further down the list you go, the more you can drink!

Ah, and your question was, I realize, about the equipment, not us, but it was fun answering anyway.

I have DCS gear which will be approaching 2 decades in a few years. It plays fantastically well. No complaints. And I have an Arcam FMJ CD23 as well. Still plays great. I think any gear that is well-cared for will be fine, but CD players have the most (continually)moving parts, so perhaps be careful with those. Cartridges, too. Amps? No. I still have my Antique Sound Lab Hurricanes, 22 years later, and no complaints about them either. So amps should be fine, so should preamps. The only things you bay want to know about used is: 1) are they the original owner and 2) has the unit been modified in any way. 

I see some interesting things that I would love to have, but many are 10 to 20+ years old. 

We ALL see things we’d love to have- that’s what endangers our wallets.

Bottom line, it’s your money- what would please YOU  more:

1. Buy, hold, store, spend the money now OR
2. Wait until needed

If you buy now, should you spend additional time, resources, effort to assure it’s in good working condition now? Yes- so can use when asap when needed

If you wait, there will likely be better offerings at reduced prices as digital audio technology quickly advances.  This is the more practical budgetary choice.

BUT if you LOVE the vintage component, well…it’s your money.

Happy Pre-Birthday, @mahgister .....You're just that later in the year 'cuz I beat you to it.....;)  Not that an additional digit yields much any more...😏

Speakers are such a personal sort of purchase, like getting used to a new pet.  It's going to have it's own sort of 'personality' that you either accept or loathe the details of......
Reminds of of the 'marriage/divorce' cycles, in terms of time involved....*L*

Most times hopefully doesn't occur, or strikes like a head-on.

At this time I've enough items linked together to amuse for awhile....the only thing that (other than listening to it) is of interest is my Alt Walsh endeavor and keeping an eye/ear open for vintage 'raw' speakers that are 'repurposed' beyond their original intents....but 'rationally' priced.
Nothing physically done to the original structure, but done differently in intent.

Just because I can, and it amuses me.
"Call me....irresponsible...."
But call me....*L*

Shanling sells a SACD/CD player at a reasonable price