I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but I have new and old gear, and I'd love a nice 60's or 70's receiver, and I'll likely buy a tube amp in the future because I have a strong masochistic streak (I also own 4 turntables), but I'm not going to do it expecting it to be 'better.'
The issue here is that the differences between these signals are so very small, that to claim to hear a difference is akin to claiming to see a 1mm difference in the height of two 1km tall towers. If someone claimed that, would you ask for evidence?