Your argument seems very similar to people who claim that music was "better" when they were young. Shockingly, people who were coming of age, in the 60s, tend to prefer 60s music. Ditto for folks who hit their stride in the 90s, the 00s, etc. I don't think you need a PhD in sociology or musicology to recognize that trend. Those same folks tend to dislike contemporary music. I've seen the same basic argument for cars, clothing, movies, TV, etc.
You mentioned that you were 15 in the late 90s. This is a wild idea but do you think that your connection to the classics, from that era, may be stronger because of nostalgia?