Yes, emotion and nostalgia, but also convenience. In addition to having a VPI Aries, with all the add on's, I have a number of Sony's and Denon's. The two units I use most are the Sony PS-X800 (Linear Arm) and the Denon DP-47F, mainly because they are fully automatic with a repeat feature. The Sony has a Grace Ruby Red, the Denon a 160. Sound wise, in my opinion, these vintage are almost the equal of the VPI, which has a Clearaudio $2K cartridge. My systems are all tubes. Old/Classic TT's that are fully operational and functional are hard to come by and even then, unless you can do a pick up, they are a crap shoot as the carriers punish the units. Often it takes 4 units to get 1. I suggest you never buy unless the seller has all the original packing materials and boxes.
Clssic superior to modern? Not really, at least sound wise. Modern is a lot of fuss, with no one making a fully auto/repeat table. To get friends and family interested in vinyl I always suggest old/classic with fully automatic features. If they get hooked on the 'vinyl' sound, I then tell them to get something modern and see if it is superior to old on a sound basis. I've given a couple of my kid's Denon 47's and they were quite satisfied, especially since the whole family could operate it without damage to the stylus. You just put the lp on and push the button. No one has 'moved' on to 'superior', at least not yet. Since they can compare a 'move up' on my system, they don't 'hear' superior.
Clssic superior to modern? Not really, at least sound wise. Modern is a lot of fuss, with no one making a fully auto/repeat table. To get friends and family interested in vinyl I always suggest old/classic with fully automatic features. If they get hooked on the 'vinyl' sound, I then tell them to get something modern and see if it is superior to old on a sound basis. I've given a couple of my kid's Denon 47's and they were quite satisfied, especially since the whole family could operate it without damage to the stylus. You just put the lp on and push the button. No one has 'moved' on to 'superior', at least not yet. Since they can compare a 'move up' on my system, they don't 'hear' superior.