Are "vintage" DAC's worthwhile, or is this a tech that does not age well

Older DACs will still sound as good (or bad) as they were originally, but there have been significant advances in DAC implementations. So I would recommend at least listening to some newer DACs before deciding to go with an older one.

To this day, the Audio Note Level 5 Special is a state of the art, sought after DAC. MSRP in 2008 was $80K! It can only be used to play Redbook and SACD only having a SPDIF input. I feel fortunate to own and enjoy a 3 Dimension Audio DAC which was inspired by the AN 5. Like it, a fully tube DAC. It is in my office headphone system with a Theta Compli transport, Bakoon HA-1 and ZMF Verites. I listen to it daily and feel, “Wow, that sounds great”. But when I listen to my TT main system I feel, Wow, I am speechless”
Not to open up that Pandora’s box...
As far as aging digital, for sure 16/44 is not going away and still sounds great!

Older DACs will still sound as good (or bad) as they were originally, but there have been significant advances in DAC implementations. So I would recommend at least listening to some newer DACs before deciding to go with an older one.

Improvement of technology in amplifier or dac are not synonymous with an automatic improvement in S.Q. in your own room, gear and electrical grid.... And a change on some aspect of sound is NOT an improvement in itself just a change, an improvement is a change on all aspect of sound simultaneously: details but also natural tonal timbre, imaging but also soundstage, listener envelopment but also source width....Any change on only one or 2 aspect is not necessarily an improvement, but only moving the unadressed problems around one upgrade after an another....Most people call a change from warm to more details or the reverse an improvement and it is not an improvement AT ALL just a moving around of unadressed problem....







The real question is with the least money possible how will i make my actual dac sound great? Is it possible? if yes why upgrading at all?

Some vintage dac can probably sound so good in the right "environment" that upgrading them will look like silliness.... It is my case....

But people dont know what is an environment: a mechanical,electrical and acoustical environment.... The words "embeddings" here is replaced by environment for a best understanding....New words are terrifying it seems... 😁😊

a change of a piece of gear is often  only a "change", a moving around of the problem, not an improvement....

@miglos,
1 High quality good sounding vintage DACs can hold their own against many of the current generation DACs. A lot of the very good older DACs were well engineered and have very good power suppliers and analogue output stages. What they'll often  lack is modern connectivity and flexibility.  If your main listening is Redbook/16/44 you can obtain excellent sound quality. 

2 I can appreciate differences in DACs as easily as I can with different cartridges or other audio components. I reject the "all DACs pretty much sound the same" not by a long shot.
Charles 

@charles1dad +1.

My current DAC and the one in my friend’s system (Michael Spallone, who modifies the Synergistic Research MPCs here and the other site), both have NOS DACs with older chips and we’re thrilled.
Michael’s system is the most three dimensional and holographic system I’ve ever heard with unbelievable depth.
Oh, and he doesn’t even have a standalone DAC, he has a CD player.