Dac Technology Mature?

Hey my 20, 23 actually, year old DAC sounds just fine thanks! Love that old R2R technology, wedded to a robust power supply and tubed analog output stage of course.

Same here. Old R2R; check.  Tube output stage; check.  Robust power supply check.  The only difference is that mine is *only* 16 years old.  As I stated in another post (I'll respond to that one shortly), my old 16 year old DAC sounds very close (but slightly better in some ways) than my newer DACs.

A dac is a dac is a dac . Plain old inexpensive days will feed you the data bit perfect . Not cool enough you say ? Spend more where the designer has added more treble , more bass , etc .... And a fancier case the more you spend .

Lots of opinions;

I just did a comparison of my Meridian Explorer2 with a Exogal Comet DAC.
Many thanks to one of our Audio Group for alowing the comparison.

I have found ( to my ears) that a true comparison needs to be done on a system that you are " intimately familiar with and its sound quality"

We compared both & MQA, too ; via Tidal.

I found it easy to hear more details, more depth and more width of soundstage.  Tonality was different, but not huge.
It was maybe a designer preference?

AND it was my system. It is easier to hear differences on the home system that I've listened to a lot.

When I go to my buddies houses, they all sound great, but with variables due to their individual tastes
I have to listen quite a while longer to detect differences.
My buddies have great ears & great systems.
I'm kinda the yellow belt & they are the black belts, but I'm learning...

My guess, Is I can hear 10-15% more details/ resolution in the better models.

Anyway, my opinion

My goodness, what a strange hobby

jeff

@maplegrovemusic It's not about being cool, there is a lot more to a DAC than simply D to A conversion. A good DAC needs a good solid power supply and good analog output stage to truly sound good. Any designer would tell you that, and frankly that goes for other gear not just DACs in terms of a good power supply.

In my experience with any machine, there is little to be gained by chasing the yearly updates. Whether it is a car, a bike, or an amp, there is an improvement but is it enough to warrant switching to the "new model" everytime something gets another mosquito wingbeat per ms? NOt for me.

When you compare products between companies it is the same thing, some will be a wingbeat ahead. Chevy, Ford, or MBZ? Depends.

Every ten years, go ahead and update if that's what you want to do because there will be quite a difference. I know that attitude seems to be anathema to many audiophiles, but it is sensible. Ten years is arbitrary.