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

Dsper

I listen to an old (late 90's?) Theta ProBasic III DAC and use digital for CD's only. Sounds great to me...

You can see my earlier post for this thread above.

Anyway, I just received on Monday afternoon a new Soekris DAC 1421, which is single ended, from Mod House Audio. Just thought I would try it as I have been thinking about finding a new end game DAC. I have been considering Bricasti, Denafrips, Metrum, Mojo Audio, and Schitt.

Right out of the box I could tell the Soekris was providing more detail but I also thought it was thin sounding and bright. This was while listening to  "Argus" by Wishbone Ash. I left it on overnight. This morning, I still felt it did not sound very good while listening to "Crossing Muddy Waters" by John Hiatt. A couple of other CDs later, I was listening to "Tunnel of Love" by Springstein and it started to sound different. 

Cutting to the chase, I am listening to "The Touch of Your Lips" by Chet Baker right now at after the DAC hs been powered on for about 20 hours. I know the sound of this CD. The Soekris sound has solidified and I would no longer categorize it as thin. It is smooth to the point of being liquid?! The increased detail seems to be translating into more solid images and better clarify the whole audio range.

So...this 899 dollar and 2.2 pound experiment is leading me to believe that current DACs can sound pretty darn good and I am now questioning the sound quality of the Theta. The next question right after that is whether spending bigger bucks for better power supplies, more nuanced analog circuits, etc. will translate into better sound?

Thanks for listening,

Dsper

Dsper

I listen to an old (late 90's?) Theta ProBasic III DAC and use digital for CD's only. Sounds great to me...

You can see my earlier post for this thread above.

Anyway, I just received on Monday afternoon a new Soekris DAC 1421, which is single ended, from Mod House Audio. Just thought I would try it as I have been thinking about finding a new end game DAC. I have been considering Bricasti, Denafrips, Metrum, Mojo Audio, and Schitt.

Right out of the box I could tell the Soekris was providing more detail but I also thought it was thin sounding and bright. This was while listening to "Argus" by Wishbone Ash. I left it on overnight. This morning, I still felt it did not sound very good while listening to "Crossing Muddy Waters" by John Hiatt. A couple of other CDs later, I was listening to "Tunnel of Love" by Springstein and it started to sound different.

Cutting to the chase, I am listening to "The Touch of Your Lips" by Chet Baker right now at after the DAC hs been powered on for about 20 hours. I know the sound of this CD. The Soekris sound has solidified and I would no longer categorize it as thin. It is smooth to the point of being liquid?! The increased detail seems to be translating into more solid images and better clarify the whole audio range.

So...this 899 dollar and 2.2 pound experiment is leading me to believe that current DACs can sound pretty darn good and I am now questioning the sound quality of the Theta. The next question right after that is whether spending bigger bucks for better power supplies, more nuanced analog circuits, etc. will translate into better sound?

Thanks for listening,

@dsper, 
I would never try to make the cast that current production DACs can not sound good, quite the contrary.  My belief is that very high quality older generation DACs can be competitive and sound as good (In some instances better)  as a modern DAC. There exists a hierarchy of sonic qualities in both groups of DACs.

In my experience whenever the power supply of a component can be upgraded it's worth the effort and additional cost.i see no reason why this wouldn't appy to the Soekris DAC.
Charles 

No issues charles1dad. Just trying to share a current live experience!

I guess it would have to be an external PS with the Soekris. I mean it is no bigger than a hard cover book you might borrow from the library (I use a Kindle by the way as it is wonderful when you are traveling).

My problem is trying to sort out that hierarchy of sonic qualities. For example, I believe that understanding the analog output of the DAC is a key. The technical explanation has to be translated into what this means to the sound. I suppose not all designers are totally forthcoming, and if you can find the technical information, I find my eyes start to glaze over trying to relate that to sound.

It is a conundrum between the plethora of choices and relating them to the sonic heirarchy to make an informed buying decision.

I think I was rather lucky that the Soekris sounds as good as it does.

And hopefully my grammar is better with this post!

Thanks for listening!

Dsper

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Hi @dsper,
Given the diminutive size of the Soekris DAC  I imagine the optional power supply is external. I would bet its use makes a positive difference. 
Charles