the meaning of the word "better"

Many confuse better with different.

02-15-12: Rok2id
Of course on a macro level, everything is probably better than components were decades ago.

The re-sale prices of many pieces of vintage gear would seem to contradict that statement.

Frogman, that is a good description, but one must always remember to weigh time in with that equation. Many times I have felt that something sounded "better" according to your definitions, only to realize 6 months or a year later that it was simply different (better in some areas, weaker in other areas) and not really better overall. You have to account for the "new component euphoria" phenomena. Too many times folks listen for 2 hours and expound on the virtues of a new toy. We all find a piece of gears "faults" over time.

I'm not attacking Rok2id, just clarifying. Your point about technology improvements bears some weight, but mostly only in the digital realm. For technologies that have changed very little, like amplification, many find a vintage component sounds better because of it's simplistic design and signal path.

Just look at the fact that many folks in this hobby still spend a LOT of money on tube and vinyl gear. Technologies that are MUCH older than digital and solid state. I'm not trying to start up one of those SS vs tube or vinyl vs. digital debates again. I'm just pointing out that newer, even by decades, does not equal better for many designs. I don't care what the glossy rags say, you can't re-invent the wheel....it's still a wheel.

Your last paragraph gave me a chuckle. I was just flashing back to a medical report that I read last week from a doctor of psychology written in 1934 where he reported about the "ultra modern" techniques they were employing in a study. I remember chuckling as I read it, thinking that anyone in any scientific field should not use phrases like that in a descriptive measure. As time changes, "ultra modern" becomes "outdated" in the blink of an eye.

Cheers,
John