I grew up in the “Prequel Era”, however my best memories are watching original VHS copies of the films. The Despecialized Editions are by far the better cuts to me. Everything that makes Star Wars special is in those cuts. The only change I actually like, and it’s a minor one, is the celebration song on Endor. I absolutely love the version they inputted into the Special Editions. That said, it’s minor enough that the every Despecialized Edition, to me, is head and shoulders above the Special Edition edits.
Poor you. You missed out on what was (probably) one the greatest experiences of my life you dont know what it was like to be in theatre when it the originals first cam out.