"Vintage" high end gear vs new and upgrade path?

http://pbnaudio.com/audio-components/audio-turntables/groovemaster/groovemaster-vintage-direct

Vintage,  definitely the way to go :-)


Good Listening


Peter

I think the capacitors in the vintage gear has, for the most part, really been improved upon. Not sure about the circuits.

At the very least, replacing coupling caps in tube preamps is usually a big deal.

If I had a Sonic Frontiers 2 or 3 with upgrades, I would have a very difficult time finding any preamp I thought sounded meaningfully better.

As for PCM, I can't hear any better beyond 96/24. I seem to slightly like DSD better, but even with a DSD DAC, I whince at the file sizes. MQA for me is pure snake oil with no noticeable improvements I could not attribute to re-mastering.

What I will say is that the current crop of DAC's is usually always pretty smooth and dynamic. It's worth listening.

Best,


Erik

Thanks to all of you for your comments.  Seems like you're all kind of confirming my own feelings, or at least that we're all more or less of the same mind.  It's worth elaborating a little.....

I don't actually listen to the analog all that much and I'm no longer in the business of collecting vinyl.  I kind of view the Rega setup as "the capability to be able to play vinyl" rather than as a core listening mode.  Now, perhaps that's because the P3/Exact 2 combo just doesn't quite deliver (it's hard for me to swallow that the Threshold pre-preamp is a weak link).  In that case maybe I'm not really excited about vinyl because I haven't heard it right.  So, that said, I guess there's only one way to find out. :-)  Thanks for pointing out a pathway.

Digital, on the other hand, is 99% of my listening and another story altogether.  I can't say that I'm dissatisfied with it in any way.  The biggest variable, by far, is the quality of the source material.  When it's good the listening experience is jaw dropping.  It's fun to sit down MP3-listening youngsters and say "Just listen to this!"   They invariably react like they'd been seeing in black and white their whole lives and just acquired color vision.  It's a magic ear candy. 

Anyway, the digital upgrade path is still murky. The SFD-2 MK3 + D2D-1 combo was regarded as spectacular in it's day, but that day was long ago.  It's also pretty esoteric equipment - not many were made in the first place and they haven't actually been heard by many people.  Good luck finding a review for the SFD-2 MK3.  Comparisons with current or "better" gear are impossible to come by.   Comparing to older stuff, Mark Levinson No. 36 for example, isn't very helpful either (and I'd think that a No. 36 owner would be in much the same boat that I'm in.).  

Other challenges:  I'm gradually transitioning to my music server as the primary source.  The current system can handle 24b/96khz PCM, which is fine for my old ears.  But before shelling out  a lot of $$ I'd like to find some way to make educated guesses on what to look for.  Listening to gear in other systems is pointless IMO and I'm not really in a position to audition equipment - no local high end shops or audiophile community. 

Thanks again and keep the ideas coming!

Here's the perspective of a guy running 1988 Sound Labs and late 90s era Lamm amps: Digital servers/streamers and DACs have improved greatly and the computeraudiophile.com  community is a much more informed place to get up to speed than here. Yes, a few folks here are on top of it all, but there are many ways to get far better digital sound than when you built your system.
Since you mention using a server already, you are probably well positioned to take advantage of it all.
Many manufacturers offer home trials with inexpensive returns (e.g. 10% restocking fee) and if you are located far from audio buddies & dealers, it's worth going this route. When exposed to many DACs, servers & top flight disk players, I became convinced that improvements in this area are many and competitive forces have brought price/performance ratios far better than when Wadia, EMM & DCS were dominating digital playback(IMHO, a decade or more ago). 
Ethernet isolation, better digital filters, power USB implementations, better power supplies, more convenient control apps & more are all common. 
Cheers,
Spencer

I want to be clear i wasn't saying anything you have is not great gear.I stated that imo  vinyl will make those maggie sing and if it were my upgrade path i would look at my tt cartridge 1st as the weakest leak in your system.( if your not into or willing to dive back into vinyl again i get it )We never heard about your cabling ,room treatment etc.The room acoustics are often overlooked and it puzzles me .In my situation and many others properly treating a room is like a major component upgrade and in most cases around a g..
Good luck
I like your setup