It's not so stupid.
I think most Akers know and will learn the difference between "good and bad gear". We'll let them know what's crap.
As far as "bias and needless barriers" for buying new gear, they don't exist other than economic barriers otherwise Akers would own the best of the best available new stuff.
I'll have to disagree with that last sentence. As a large group of individuals, we have a lot of different motivations and preferences and perspectives.
I may not be one of them, but I am sure there are plenty of AKers who choose vintage despite the ability to easily afford new. I also recognize that there are heavily biased vintage enthusiasts who will sometimes make pointedly antimodern comments. These are almost always fairly new members, or one of a few established members who are repeat offenders. This is the way I see it now. If you read older threads, it was more common a few years ago.
There are also a fairly prolific, but small number of modernists that make antivintage comments. These comments are rarely pointed, but instead tend toward the sly and backhanded. Similar to those above, if you go back a ways you can find more straightforward slurs, although it is very rare to see references to dumpster diving these days. These guys have biases of their own, but are interestingly often the ones that complain most bitterly about the "prevalent" antimodern bias.
I consider myself to be a mostly vintage guy since my newest pieces in regular use are from ~1993 and my oldest are ~1978, but the vintage guys probably wouldn't claim me since I have no silver faces in any of my current setups.
If I won the lotto tomorrow, (after paying more taxes than if I had won a month ago) I would definitely get some things like Yamaha's new 2000. I'd also be getting some of my better vintage stuff like the AU919 recapped and freshened up. Then I would see for myself which was more to my taste. I should mention that if I wished to audition the new stuff before buying it, I would likely spend as much in traveling expenses as I would on gear.
Now, if I won the Powerball, the difference in taxes could finance several nice Yammie based systems, but instead, I'd be checking out monstrously expensive stuff like those $90K turntables
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this thread needed pics it serves a purpose its like a screwdriver it serves the purpose of providing amplification to speakers for a party right now it's a sony str-7045
I kind of like how it looks but I'm sure the Jolida Tom mentioned would fit there equally as well My needs here are flat head not phillips 20 plus pages of never pulling thumbs out and realizing what they smell like f'ing amazing here's mine :thmbsp: and it certainly doesn't smell like a rose
Huh?