The Golden Age is right now. Very high-quality equipment is available for pennies-on-the-dollar compared to to just 10 or 15 years ago. And the information about hi-end is just a click away. Not to mention, there are probably more smaller companies offering more intriguing products than any other time in history. The only downside is many smaller boutique hi-fi dealers are long gone, but still, even in their prime, most had a very limited offering.
If you think the past held the golden age, I believe you're hearing it through rose-colored headphones.
When Was The Audio Golden Age?
I looked at the Vintage section here for the first time. It made me speculate on what other forum users would view as the best era in Audio. For me it is the present. The level of quality is just so high, and the choice is there. Tube fanciers, for example, are able to indulge in a way that was impossible 3 decades ago, and analog lovers are very well set. And even my mid Fi secondary systems probably outshine most high end systems from decades agoHowever when one hears a well restored tube based system, play one speaker from the mid to late 1940s it can dazzle and seduce. So what do others think? Are we at the summit now, or did we hit the top in past and have we taken a few steps down?