When is a DAC too old? Have they peaked for a while?

Maybe as far as detail goes...
butt richness, timbre, musicality, etc. can still sound good even ten yrs down the road.
What I would agree w/as far as "limiting" your system would be is USB, higher rez, etc...

 

I know audiophiles who may consider a DAC "too old" as soon as they hear one that they think might sound marginally better, and the money to purchase it is burning a hole in their pocket.....

People often purchase based on their beliefs, even if there isn't an audible difference. If they think there might be one, they dive right in.

This doesn't mean that the DAC they are using no longer sounds good in any way. It's just part of the hobby, a desire for constant improvement in their rig. And with the speed of the advances in digital circuitry, there is always something new to get excited about.

My approach is "If I like the sound I have, enjoy it until it no longer provides pleasure. Then hope I can afford what restores the fun".

 

If this thinking allows you to sleep at night, then by all means don't stop. For anyone else, this is a pure fabrication.

 

It already is...

http://bluecoastrecords.com/

 

except there is nothing on this label I would ever be interested in buying...
$40 for DSD downloads of obscure musicians no one is interested in to playback on hardware that no one has.

Now that's a business model...

 

Jeff nailed it.

Anyway, jh901 is too busy making snide comments and listening to the redbook layer of his SACDs to bother actually looking into information which has already been covered several times over.

 

Exactly. Something's gotta give eventually and I hope it's 24/96 or 192 that isn't imprisoned on an SACD.

 

I really like the music that Cookie does. It'[s more of a laid-back California vibe but the musicians are very talented and its perfect for a relaxing weekend.

 

Gee, somehow I've made it this far learning my own way. I'll bet dollars to doughnuts that the sound I'm getting from the redbook layer on my system would buckle your knees.

 

Quite true. Members hear are a very negative and inexperienced bunch lately. Which is I why I don't post as often.

This music hobby should be fun and relaxing, not a dick-measuring contest by insecure people.

 

Is your voice the voice of experience?

My snippy remark was aimed at a half baked conclusion (that upgrades are imagined) than nearly anyone bothering to read a gear forum would reject entirely.

 

Cookie can be doing the best music in the world, but you have to admit, Lee, that these are not Blue Note or Impulse reissues, or Dylan or the Stones, or more popular, current music, so there is bound to be a limited audience.

Really, you "bet dollars to doughnuts" that your system will "buckle my knees?" What I find most entertaining is that you have no idea how ridiculous you sound when you make these statements.

I couldn't agree more, Lee. I don't think there's anything wrong with being inexperienced in audiophile matters. There's so much information and it's constantly changing. Admittedly, I largely fall into the inexperienced category. The inexperience when it comes to polite discourse and good manners is what I find irritating.

 

That's nicely stated.

 

+1