I've found the "latest ricebox" collector types usually don't last in the hobby very long. I remember a wealthy group of gentlemen on 75M who talked every night about who had the latest ricebox and who had the earliest delivery and serial number. They always seemed to say, "Oh, it has SUCH a great receiver!" After a while, one by who they all got bored and disappeared. How much can you talk about stuff like that?
The vintage Collins S-line guys have quite a set of roots established, so they will be around for a long time. I once had two S lines. I thought they were "romantic." Collins S-line front panels have the most honest faces in ham radio..
Probably more the memory of seeing it at Hatry's in Htfd as a JN in 1965, but couldn't afford it. It was the Holy Grail at the time. Corky said to me one day, as I was about to trade in another boat anchor for the 20th time, "Get rid of the shit and buy some Collins."
But all in all, to pull out the very weak ones - for raw performance - I've never used anything better than my FT-1000D. I'm sure the new SDR RX's can do better, but I like the computer-less TX and RX all in one dual diversity package. When the SDR guys start cleaning my clock hearing into Eu, then I'll take a closer look...
T