Thinking about the good old days...

@bdp24 

Blind testing? I'm going to guess you're not a "tube guy". ;-)

No. I prefer my music to be undistorted and my amps to be no more expensive than necessary to produce audible accuracy, which in the case of solid state is very cheap. Although I have no problem with people who like the sound of tubes' particular distortion when it's audible. Whatever floats your boat. Just don't call it more accurate. BTW, I have participated in two blind tests for amps.

Roger Modjeski (of Music Reference and RAM Tube Works fame), though a completely "modern" amplifier designer, considered the OTL design of Julius Futterman ...

Is that the same OTL that failed blind testing against a $220 Pioneer receiver in the infamous 1987 Stereo Review test?

Some feel the same way about the Quad ESL, another design from the 1950's

I remember hearing the Quads in the mid/late 80's, but I don't remember what it sounded like. A speaker that did stand out to me at the time was a Magnepan MG-III(?) for acoustic instruments and an Ohm F(?). Magnepan was the only speaker that could fool me on acoustic guitar. No other speaker I've heard sounds "real" with that or other instruments. But if someone was going to give me a set I'd chose Revel Salon 2. Dolby Labs agrees.

@mrmb what Halliscratcher did you have? I had a S-120 that I used as a young ham until I got a National NC-125 with a Central Electronics Sideband Slicer. That was deadly. I joined the Columbia Record Club in my last year of High School. One record per month, whether you ordered one or not. Went into the service, and for some reason, my parents continued to pay for records that arrived, for 2.5 years. When I got home, I had a pretty nice record collection (except, of course the Ray Connif Orchestra stuff).
First system, a pair of Fisher monoblocks @ 25 watts per side, a dual 1229 (I think) TT with a Shure cartridge of some sort, and a Knight Kit Tuner/preamp. Speakers were home brew birch ply cabinets containing 12" Ohm brand concentric speakers purchased from Olson Electronics in Chicago. Now that was sound, and yes, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"  was one of my early albums. 
The modern high end stuff sounds great, but totally lacks the magic of my old stuff. Now where did I put my copy of   "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" ? 

@zerobias ... What a great post; thanks!  I too, was a member of the Columbia Record Club... As I recall, one could choose among several genres, I chose "Classical Music"  .... probably the only person in my 62-member Senior Class that actually listened to classical stuff.  Wow, I've always been weird.

Yup, me too zerobias, I also had a Hallicrafters S-120.  It never progressed to me being a ham.  But I have always fancied the idea. 

The magic of my old stuff, I attribute to youthful exuberance and finally having the receipt of a high-end systems that I had been waiting for years to purchase.  The day and store that I bought the equipment from is forever etched in my memory.  Since then, many new components have been bought and unboxed, but nothing has felt like that first much-researched and hoped-for system!!

In the UK used to record the top 40 on Tandberg reel to reel from Yamaha CR800, Friday/Saturday night rock show with Tommy Vance, Annie Nightingale always playing Brothers in Arms as it was one of the first CDs, blues with Alexis Korner, big band special etc.- all gone (even the BBC big band itself)

Going to Andie’s Records in Bedford to get US imports, listening to Linn Sondek in Cam Audio, friend’s dad’s Stax headphones and Quas ESLs, taking Quad 22 for service back to the factory, dad getting SMC kit speakers, Bang and Olufsen, lusting after Alpine car stereos, buying outragiously expensive cassettes (Thats Professional) to record CDs from the library, window shopping down Charing Cross Road, Tower Records, Mole Jazz, Honest Jon’s. Bill Lewington’s musical instruments etc etc

Have a new Golf and it's not a patch on my 20 year old BMW E36 (180,000 miles) and Polo (170,000)- so many annoying 'improvements'- dangerous adaptive cruise, paranoid parking sensors, no clock, no low washer warning, terrible tyre wear and unremarkable fuel consumption, fiddly touchscreen to name just a few gripes and still totally soulless- they couldn't even supply a blue one- just black, white or grey/ silver- assume the US is full of black and white cars nowadays as well- used to love those 70's/ 80's colours

1934 Selmer Cigar Cutter, 1940 balanced action and 90's SA80, 60's Buffet, 50's Conn saxes all still blowing great- new Yanigasawa sits in the case unloved. Martin D28 and Les Paul still a work of art, Brinsmead upright piano nicer than a bright Yamaha.