What am I missing using a 20 year old CD player??

I think the biggest difference is in the recording technology.Being a die hard analog guy,the thing I have noticed is how much better the recordings sound compared to those harsh and strident cds and lps from the late 80s.Just listen to some of those fatiguing if not overwhelming early Telarc digitals! Many of todays studios are going back to more analog in their processing.I recently picked up an old PS Audio Superlink Dac that was not even considered superior back when it was new and hooked it up to my laserdisc as a transport and feel it sounds respectable.Old technology with players could sound harsh or respectable as can the newer technology.It is/was all in who designed the product and their interpretation of how it should sound.Japanese typically prefered a brighter sound as evidenced by the speakers they made back then.American designs like your Sonographe appeal more to american tastes.As suggested by the other members home audition is a must! Your "step up" might not actually sound like one.

Don,

I agree. Analog was very forgiving. Digital is brutal. A mistake in the recording studio is not forgiven in digital. Digital sounds terrible when it clips or distorts...analog tape machines have a huge advantage over digital when over driven, as it distorts in a much less brutal manner.

I would agree that overall CD recordings have improved greatly as a whole.

Still there were still some good recordings back in the 80's, weren't there? For example, I've heard some good Denon and GRP recordings from that era recently that sound pretty good.

I still suspect that both both recording technology and techniques and CD playback technologies have both improved significantly. The best results as a whole will come as a result of addressing both as needed.

Sunnyjim, I am not familiar with the Sonographe unit you have, but it sounds like it must match your system well if you've stuck with it for so long, which is very important, and was very good for its era. Maybe it really can compete with some of the latest, if not the greatest players? The only way to know for sure, as is always the case when considering alternate options in a hi fi system, is to try something that appears to be a step up, a/b compare with a sample of recordings that represent the best/worst of the old/new, and go from there.

Your question was have CD players gotten. The answer surely has to be "yes". But if you are happy with what you have even after you experience some options, why change?

When I look at new equipment, I often go to various shops and listen to the best they have to offer. This gives me a baseline reference for what is possible. THen a consider what I have currently. If the best is out of my price range, then I search for something I can afford that approaches what I consider to be the best if money were no object. I ususally end up with a good step forward without spending too much in all cases with this approach.

Good luck. Please keep us posted on your findings!

Cheers!

Technology on cd players changes every year imagine what can happen in 20!

Here's my point. I have no idea how good the Sonographe player is in question, or after 19 years if it is still operating up to spec. I do know that there have been clear improvements in clocks, filters and DACs used in CDPs since 1988 that all have the potential to improve sound quality, and that these developments have trickled down to less than state of the art machines. There are also corners cut in terms of other components inside electronics equipment that tend to offset the improvements in digital components of lower end machines compared with 20 years ago.

So, now we have machines available in and around $1000 with modern DACs, low jitter, and either upsampling (Cambridge 840C) or use other tricks (Rega Apollo) to get the most out of digitally recorded material. Worth a try to see if you can do better than what you currently have within your budget. If not, then be satisfied in the knowledge that what you have is still pretty darn good.