Well far from comparable if you mean the old analog receivers sound much better than the modern entry level DSP rigs of today which lack the fidelity of old rigs.
No.....they're deaf, they drift, have dial backlash, etc. And all for what....a "cool" hifi sound?
The OP apparently has his mind already set on a 440S or whatever, so I don't know why he even posted. But telling a newb that he should look at a 520 or a Heathkit (talk about suck) just because we thought they were cool back in the day is silly. Our nostalgia shouldn't be taken as gospel truths by a new person.