As with many others, my first entry in to audio was back in high school with a Technics receiver, and old Garrard turntable, a Sony reel-to-reel and Pioneer cassette deck and JBL speakers. As I went to Grad school in the late 80's I really got into what was then considered high-end audio -- Thiel speakers, SOTA turntable, Klyne pre-amp, PS Audio 200CX Amp, Nakamichi Dragon Cassette, Sony 707ES CD player and Cardas cables that cost more than my entire high school set up. This system served me well for many years but as settled down and started a family, career, etc. I essentially abandoned this hobby (where would I find time to just sit and listen??).
With working from home for the last 1 1/2 years with this Covid crisis, I actually got back into this hobby. Remarkably, I was able to find many on the components that I used to own -- Thiel Speakers, Klyne pre-amp, PS Audio 200 Delta amp -- all of which had been updated by the manufacturer or reputable technicians -- and I was able to restore my SOTA turntable back to good order. Wow -- I realized what I had been missing out for many years. Over the past six months or so, I have been getting into tube based equipment and have focused solely on upgrading my components with used (I guess sometimes referred to as vintage) equipment (Audible Illusions, Sonic Frontiers, Modwright modified Sony SACD player, Linn Sondek LP12, Threshold S/300 Amp) initially because of the sonic bang for the buck...but I realized that (as the original poster asked) that there was another benefit -- that of returning me to those days when I really got into this hobby. As I put on Abbey Road or one of my original CDs, I am transported back to those Boston evenings when I had far fewer cares and I could just sit and listen to the latest Chesky records releases for hours. I think that for this reason (and the economics) I likely will likely live a little bit in the past. Don't get me wrong, my system sounds tonally accurate to my ears but I think for many folks, including myself, this audio obsession is about more than simply seeking out sonic purity -- I think we all have that record, riff, musical interlude that transcends the equipment and takes us to our "happy place". As I read all of the debates about this component or that tweak or the other, I remind myself that it is all about enjoying the music!
With working from home for the last 1 1/2 years with this Covid crisis, I actually got back into this hobby. Remarkably, I was able to find many on the components that I used to own -- Thiel Speakers, Klyne pre-amp, PS Audio 200 Delta amp -- all of which had been updated by the manufacturer or reputable technicians -- and I was able to restore my SOTA turntable back to good order. Wow -- I realized what I had been missing out for many years. Over the past six months or so, I have been getting into tube based equipment and have focused solely on upgrading my components with used (I guess sometimes referred to as vintage) equipment (Audible Illusions, Sonic Frontiers, Modwright modified Sony SACD player, Linn Sondek LP12, Threshold S/300 Amp) initially because of the sonic bang for the buck...but I realized that (as the original poster asked) that there was another benefit -- that of returning me to those days when I really got into this hobby. As I put on Abbey Road or one of my original CDs, I am transported back to those Boston evenings when I had far fewer cares and I could just sit and listen to the latest Chesky records releases for hours. I think that for this reason (and the economics) I likely will likely live a little bit in the past. Don't get me wrong, my system sounds tonally accurate to my ears but I think for many folks, including myself, this audio obsession is about more than simply seeking out sonic purity -- I think we all have that record, riff, musical interlude that transcends the equipment and takes us to our "happy place". As I read all of the debates about this component or that tweak or the other, I remind myself that it is all about enjoying the music!