Have DAC’s improved for Redbook CD playback?

My redbooks sound great through an audio alchemy DDP-1. It actually amazes me how well they sound. I listen to digital/analog about 50%/50% since I bought it a year ago. Before that I listened to digital very rarely.   

I play a lot of redbook CDs off my ARC Ref CD-8 CD player.  The CD-8 was discontinued in 2013, but still sounds very good to me.  

I would appreciate hearing from some of our tech members, but here's a lay person reaction.  Redbook CDs are a 30++ year old technology.  I am open minded to the possibility that redbook DAC technology got better.  That said, I am somewhat dubious that if one has a recent'ish very good CD player, that current redbook CD player/DAC technology will take one to a new quantum higher level.  

BIF

It seems like DAC tech has gone sideways with development of alternative digital processing formats. Nothing against that as it relates to streaming. Seems like jitter control via better reclocking circuitry could largely account for the improvement. I ordered an Emperical Audio Synchro-Mesh unit, so I will see how much improvement is obtained using it. 

DACs are amazing. Always making huge strides with each new generation and new "flavor of the month", yet perpetually sounds "almost as good as vinyl, for real, this time".

To be fair, some reasonably priced DACs do sound pretty decent these days.