Old Amps that can still Kick Butt

This certainly has not been my experience. Starting in about 1980 when I took out my first loan to buy the then new revolutionary Pass designed Threshold 500. Then 20 years later after auditioning many amps and bought a Pass x350, which in every respect bested the Threshold (jaw droppingly so), and the switching over to an Audio Research Reference 160s. In each case the previous generation definitely could not kick butt in comparison to the new one... each generation has had much higher current... the butt kicking part). There would never be going back and a bit of nostalgia. Each generation has absolutely trounced the previous. Also, I think accounting for the time value of money, the investment I made in each amp was probably roughly the same.

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If the is a place you could feel an amp held up over time would be in a tube amp, where there was a certain sweetness (not accuracy) that was particularly appealing. Or if you are not actually appreciating better more accurate performance. Over the last fifty years solid state more closely approached the positive attributes of tube gear and tube gear more closely approached the position attributes of solid state gear, converging on best possible sound... as refinements in material science and component construction and selection will continue. I suppose the state of the art will level out at some point, but it sure has not yet.

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I guess it is great that some people feel this way. This is how I got the same price in trade in as I paid for my Pass x350 16 years earlier. I got a ridiculous amount of money back for my Threshold as well, on a sound / dollar basis.

I understand people feeling nostalgic. That is all this is. Young hormone filled people get emotionally attached to people, events, music and sounds. If old equipment, in general, sounded better than new high end equipment, then the price on the old stuff would rise above new stuff. The reviewers and serious amateurs would get rid of the new stuff. There would be a blossoming industry with The Absolute Vintage Sound magazine leading the way. You can fool the mid-FI folks with buttons and new looks... you can fool the high end folks for a short time, but not for long. I bought a CD player when they came out... but sure didn’t get rid of my turntable. The idea that there is a lot of old equipment that sounds better than equivalent equipment today is nonsense. That sounds pretty good for it’s age, or better than infirm or equipment today... sure maybe.

@orgillian
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Now that was a cost effective purchase!