I only have one piece of vintage gear that is still wired up in one of my rooms. It's a 45w Harman Kardon integrated amp I bought in the early-mid 1980s for about $250, IIRC, from a high-end shop near Washington DC. No WiFi capabilities, no LED front panel, no remote control ... but it still gets the job done, year after year.
In contrast, less than 2 years ago I bought a combination DAC/streamer/pre-amp. Made in China. Sells for about $3400. Well, lately, my system no longer recognizes it as a "Roon-Ready" networked device. So on the LAN, it now only works as an Airplay receiver. I've been trouble-shooting the darn thing for days, trying to figure out if it's a hardware problem, a settings problem, a network or firmware or software problem. Complicated!
In contrast, less than 2 years ago I bought a combination DAC/streamer/pre-amp. Made in China. Sells for about $3400. Well, lately, my system no longer recognizes it as a "Roon-Ready" networked device. So on the LAN, it now only works as an Airplay receiver. I've been trouble-shooting the darn thing for days, trying to figure out if it's a hardware problem, a settings problem, a network or firmware or software problem. Complicated!