Has Digital Audio Tech Plateaued - Is It Safe To Come Out Now?

We hit the plateau around 2010.  Sometime around here something happened, and the quality of CD quality files (44.1 kHz/16 bit) got radically better and shortened the gap between it and high resolution files.  I know this isn't my ears because I still hear the wide gap with older DACs.

My guess is that this was a result of consistently better and cheaper clock and jitter elimination circuits.  To my ears, this finally proves taht 44.1/16 is a very good format, but that DAC's were lacking. 

High resolution files and upsampling sound only slightly better than they would have a decade ago.  The DAC's which do not do internal upsampling still do a smidge better, but we can attribute that all to the better high frequency performance, which is measurable.

R2R and zero upsampling DAC's are fun, but probably no more than colorful in their own ways.  Enjoy them if you like them.

@rooze I think you answered your own question at the outset..."Yeah, I think I’ll just buy another tonearm.."
Perhaps you can tell me, do you think analog audio has plateaued yet? If so why are people still "upgrading"? Why are there so many turntable designs, cartridges, isolation feet, mats, tonearms, do-dads?

Seriously, all audio is now digital unless perhaps there is still a recording studio that uses reel to reel tape, I don't know. The real frontier is provenance of the recording. How was it made, how many times has it been re-mixed or remastered, etc. No matter what the delivery mechanism its the quality of the recording that dominates and yet which we usually have so little information.

@eric-squires,

I concur, in particular on the implementation of Delta Sigma DACs and the fact that R2R Dacs ultimately suffer from their own set of colorations

@bruce19,

spot on. That said, analogue recordings have a greater affinity to vinyl than modern day digital ones. I guess, the lack of resolution and dynamics incumbent on vinyl in the former are less evident.

Most people Cannot hear the difference between 16/44 and so called hi-res. CD’s are good enough. Same with 4k and 1080p....there is not much of a difference really, certainly not enough to spend way more money for a 4k movie. Still using my musical fidelity v90 dac...its good enough. No way would I pay more for any dac...I’d rather buy more records or spend the money on an even better turntable.

wow...so much great info, I appreciate all the responses.

@cal3713 
I've re-read my OP and see your point about it being a little confusing. Let me put it a different way - I'm not looking for specific equipment recommendations, I can research what's available now, easily enough. I want some confidence that if I pull the trigger on a new digital front-end, it won't be rendered obsolete in a year's time. In 5 years, who knows? I get that. Also, obsolete may not be the correct word here, I know whatever tech is at play now will likely still be useable in a decade. But is there anything 'just around the corner' that might make it sensible to hold fire for a year or so, or is it fairly safe to say that projecting forward a year, changes will be of an incremental nature and not wholesale. It might even be a rhetorical question and I might already know the answer, yet I'm still interested to read other people's take on it.

@gdnrbob - thanks for the photography analogy, it works well!

@antigrunge2 - I hear you on the 'implementation', though I haven't personally heard digital that gives better overall sound quality than a vinyl rig at a similar price-point. But I'm not expecting that or looking for it. I enjoy both, for different reasons. My goal is just to close the gap sonically so I won't feel like something is missing from the experience when listening to digital.

@boomerbillone - thanks for the comments. I agree with your statement "I've never heard a streaming service that could beat a well-recorded CD". It's interesting how that contrasts with antigrunge2 and his "optimized streaming far beats ripping CDs and ripping your CD collection is a waste of time if you can stream them from high-res Qobus."

@bruce19 "Perhaps you can tell me, do you think analog audio has plateaued yet?" - yes, I do. Changes at this point appear incremental and I haven't seen anything come through that renders a turntable from 20 years ago incompatible. Sure, a new tonearm might not be compatible with your old Thorens, but not buying that particular tonearm doesn't mean you're no longer able to access new vinyl media.
The closest thing I know of to 'revolutionary' is the optical strain-gauge system, but even that can be retro-fitted to most any TT. ( I can imagine a lot of people disagreeing with this view)

@ Y'all - Great to see a thread where no one has gone off on a 'this is better than that' rant!
As an aside, I recently bought a Devialet Expert Pro 220 CI. This highly praised and well-reviewed component is a fully digital pre/power with DAC, streamer, Roon integration, digital crossover, speaker-matching software, and a fully configurable MC/MM phono, a true digital swiss-army knife if ever there was one. The only problem was that it just didn't sound 'right'.

Rooze