The value of "Legacy" DACs vs new?


Everyone points out that digital technology is constantly advancing at a pretty rapid pace. So where does that leave something like my six year old Wyred4Sound DAC 2/DSD?

I like it a lot, although it's past time to upgrade. But is it a SQ dinosaur?

It's probably worth $500-$700. There seems to be many DACs in that price range.or Streaming DACs/All-In-Ones for a bit more. But they are generally loaded with features that I wouldn't want. Like MQA, Dirac, HP amp, PHONO, RoonReady. etc I'm a minimalist, who is definitely most interested in SQ. .

So... as a VERY GENERAL rule-of-thumb, for NEW equipment, what price range would you say that I should look in?

I hope that it's clear that I'm not really asking for brand/model recommendations, or something like "just shop with you ears". At this point I am just asking for more general comments,,,

Thanks!



mkh1099
W4S might have done a better job implementing the 9018 back when , than some do now with the 9038. The 9038 has a known issue with a "hump" that needs to be addressed some companies have done a better job than others. The Benchmark DAC3 still uses the 9028. I think Mytek still does as well?
chipsets don't drive the sound of dacs by themselves

a lot around them, both on the incoming and outgoing side matters just as much, if not more