Older higher end or newer mid-fi...better bargain?

Depending on your speakers. If reasonably sensitive i would go with Pass Aleph 3 and AES or Cary tube pre. Not very original, i have that combo, but it works for me.

Great thread...and an interesting "dilemna" for new shoppers...new or used? When I recently assembled a very modest system...I went with a highly regarded budget $500 Stereophile class C intergrated...then recently inheritated a hi end solid state amp that is almost 20 yrs old...after doing some a/b comparisons I came to the conslusion that the older amp was slightly more veiled in presentation and not as musical...until I realised I was actually listening to the newer intergrated! OOOOppps.... Yahtzee! Now...to be fair...the differences were slight on first comparison...but over time they have become more somewhat more prenounced...at any rate...they were not night and day...but the older class a/b amp does have class a drivers,,,better wiring... better componets...and ofcourse better build quality...if you wanted to keep things simple and not monkey with the used market and simply make a quality purchase with no regrets...I would go with a new intergrated...such as the Creek,Musical Fidelity, Bryston b-60,etc...at $1500 there are many choices...and most of them very good...however...if you enjoy doing some research, tweaking gear, finding deals,etc..the used market can be very rewarding...but like others have stated...there is a risk...but the nice thing about purchasing a hi-end 2 channel amp(regardless of age) is you get to assembly the preamp of your choosing...and with scarcity of 2-channel amps(it seems everything is multi now)...going used might be the way to go...have I confused anyone yet? At any rate, regardless of new or old, at $1500 for amplification alone...rest assured you will probably have the nicest amp(s) on your block....

Also...you mentioned suggestions...older McCormack,B&K, and even Adcom come to mind..others have more knowledge pertaining to specific models,etc...good luck...

Items with moving parts, given time, will break; (i.e. tape decks, cd players, turntables). I have always bought this new. Items without moving parts will last longer (amps and pre amps). I have always bought these used. Used speakers will reveal their condition quickly, just listen. IMO; used equipment gives you a superior cost to quality relationship.

Good used values:

VTL Ultimate preamplifier..true dual monaural
Audible Illusions Modulus 3A
Audio Research SP8, SP 9
Audiomat Arpege, Prelude
Audio Note SORO
Audio Note P2SE and P1SE (el84 based)
Bryston 2b-LP...great sounding 60 watt SS amp
older Accuphase amplifiers in the 1500 range
Accuphase T100 AM/FM tuner at 550/600..will only go up
Convergent Audio Sl1 Signature phono preamplifier
Audio Note DAC products; older DAC 1, 2, and 3 are excellent values with great performance
PS Audio 2C and 2C Plus very good and very cheap when they come up for sale

anything ten years older or more should be put on a bench with a qualified technician as almost certainly parts will need to be replaced; include this in your budget. For example, I was advised that if I ever wanted a used Kondo Ongaku one can be found in the 20k price range. But, once I acquire it I need to budget an additional 5000 bucks for service/upgrades to bring it to modern standards. Same applies with less expensive units.