In my opinion:
The Consumer-Grade Electronics have always had their "better" stuff AND their "cheap JUNK". And some brands tended to build a more solid unit than others (Vintage Pioneer, Marantz, and Harman-Kardon's better offerings) in Solid-State. Also, some of the premium Japanese stuff that was actually MADE in Japan in the late-70's thru 1980's was also supposed to have been pretty darned good.
I can't speak much for Vintage Tube Gear - but that does not sound like the era of stuff that you would be looking-for.
Likewise, in Audio, there has almost ALWAYS been the "Consumer Stuff" vs. the "Esoteric Audiophile Stuff". I think that the key difference was that less of the "Classic" Audiophile equipment was as far out-of-reach financially as a lot of the Modern-Era Audiophile stuff (some of it was even sold as "assemble it yourself" kits and was supposedly pretty darned GOOD [Dynaco and some H-K Citation]).
Products offered by various companies usually changed over time - some for the better. (Heck - in TV, look at what used to be the junk that one used to find at "Monkey Wards" - stuff like Goldstar and Samsung, which are now premier brands in that market.) And some for the worse - usually, when a good up-and-coming company sells their soul to a Corporation that gradually replaces the founders and cheapens the products.
If you are into Vinyl - it DOES make sense to look at something from the "heyday" of HiFi Vinyl recordings (1960s thru early 1980s). After that, with the advent of the CD and the "Digital" hype - most consumer electronics companies stopped putting much effort into their Phono circuitry. But, as others have said - get a mid to high-end product and spend a few bucks on restoring it (cleaning controls / replacing Electrolytic Caps, etc.)
The Consumer-Grade Electronics have always had their "better" stuff AND their "cheap JUNK". And some brands tended to build a more solid unit than others (Vintage Pioneer, Marantz, and Harman-Kardon's better offerings) in Solid-State. Also, some of the premium Japanese stuff that was actually MADE in Japan in the late-70's thru 1980's was also supposed to have been pretty darned good.
I can't speak much for Vintage Tube Gear - but that does not sound like the era of stuff that you would be looking-for.
Likewise, in Audio, there has almost ALWAYS been the "Consumer Stuff" vs. the "Esoteric Audiophile Stuff". I think that the key difference was that less of the "Classic" Audiophile equipment was as far out-of-reach financially as a lot of the Modern-Era Audiophile stuff (some of it was even sold as "assemble it yourself" kits and was supposedly pretty darned GOOD [Dynaco and some H-K Citation]).
Products offered by various companies usually changed over time - some for the better. (Heck - in TV, look at what used to be the junk that one used to find at "Monkey Wards" - stuff like Goldstar and Samsung, which are now premier brands in that market.) And some for the worse - usually, when a good up-and-coming company sells their soul to a Corporation that gradually replaces the founders and cheapens the products.
If you are into Vinyl - it DOES make sense to look at something from the "heyday" of HiFi Vinyl recordings (1960s thru early 1980s). After that, with the advent of the CD and the "Digital" hype - most consumer electronics companies stopped putting much effort into their Phono circuitry. But, as others have said - get a mid to high-end product and spend a few bucks on restoring it (cleaning controls / replacing Electrolytic Caps, etc.)