20 Year Old Amplifiers compared to 2017

One great designer responsible for the 1st pure class A amplifier over 100 wpc, and fully regulated power supply for very low distortion and stable 
At even demanding conditions.
James Borgiorno  R.IP. his Ampzilla amplifiers, 
And excellent preamplifier live on.
Remember Marantz,Dynaco,Sumo,and Constellation
Jim worked,and designed with many founding greats.
Amplifiers biased high in class A dtill have a very nsturalness
To them. Digital has come along way ,May be a hybrid with tubes?

I've decided that a well-designed tube amp with large transformers sound the best of what I've heard.  McIntosh tube amps pioneered this formula, and I think companies like VAC and Atmasphere have refined it. 

What I hear on such amps is the ability to sustain sounds that seem to quickly deplete the power supplies or transformers (caps?) on other designs.  Plus they have soft clipping. I've recently upgraded to a VAC 200 IQ, which can truly transform some tracks -- the transient speed is there, but the strength of some notes seem to extend into full flesh, when they used to decay in a more threadbare soundscape.

Perhaps Class-D can do this, also.  I liked a Mola-Mola/Giya at a show.

Well, I obviously mispoke on Atmasphere amps, since they're OTL.  Only heard them once at a show, and thought they sounded very open.   

Amps are better today, *if* we assume solid-state. Pass is better and a good number of tube lovers admit this made them ditch their gear. So, something happened.

If we believe Benchmark amp specs, noise and distortion measure lower than the 70s, when we had THD wars.