Are "vintage" DAC's worthwhile, or is this a tech that does not age well

Hi @jond,
One key similarity between the Yamamoto YDA-01 and your Audio Note DAC is the choice to go with a very simple circuit and discrete analogue output stages. They avoided OP-amps in this stage and also shunned them for I/V conversion.

 Rationale given  was to have a zero NFB DAC circuit. All these years later and neither has saw the need to change the circuit design. . They’ve both have stood the test of time successfully.
Charles

My ancient Wadia 15 (redbook only) outperforms my Bryston BDP-1 even when it's playing hi-res!

Endlessly chasing detail, detail, detail is a mistake! A friend proudly using an uber expensive dCS agrees that my old Wadia is better but only on redbook and says if we tried hi-res on his unit there would be no comparison. I said OK lets do it. He explained that his hi-res files were at the office and that we could try another time.

Never happened. I found it very clean and detailed but would not want that soulless sound.

So yes, vintage DACs are definitely worthwhile and the good ones do age well. I get the impression my heavyweight Wadia will outlast me and just about everything else.

for those who wonder...Jim White of Theta and Aesthetix..makes an absolutely killer modern DAC.....Pandora..

open the box, if you dare.

Yes, the Wadia stuff was magic...hold on to that 64

@lemonhaze, 
Yes keep your Wadia I see no reason to replace it, a classic piece.
I understand your characterization of the DCS. That is how they struck me as well. Always will be horses for courses.
Charles 

Not a dac, but my former Sony XA7ES CD player built in 1998 stood proud against any currently built CD player. I’m wondering how much of digital is about smoke and mirrors? I regret selling that player which had a proprietary disc drawer which was at least on par with high dollar Wadia decks.