What am I missing using a 20 year old CD player??

Your great experience with Conrad Johnson gear echoed mine. I enjoyed the troublefree 'dual mono' Motif MC7 preamp and eventually had it upgaded by "Bill Thalmann" of MUSIC TECHNOLOGY.COM. Wow! He brought it to another level of musical enjoyment(cleaner more dynamic,etc) very reasonably. I'd suggest a quick call to him about your machine whether to upgrade or sell. I doubt you can upgrade the power cord(ie detachable) without a mod-and I'm not sure it's worth doing; However you haven't mentioned any power isolation or conditioning. You will be pleasantly surprised at the "new" sound after simply adding isolation. Probably "most" of the digital sound you're complaining of comes from noise contamination between digital & analog. Before doing anything else you should audition a few power conditioners, "at least" to isolate the digital, but try it different ways in your system. You could find you're still happy with the Sonographe and if not you'veat least experienced what conditioning & isolation does for your system. If you want a change I believe you'll find a used Denon 3910 a very exciting machine that could be resold w/o loss if desired. It will also allow you to try some power cords-I'd suggest a basic MIT Shotgun AC1 or preferably AC2.
Their cords enhanced my listening all round. If you contact BILL THALMANN say hi from Pete who had him do the MC7. He'll likely remember, and he's a great guy to know in this business. Happy listening.

CD digital technology has come a long way in 20 years. It was pretty new back then. Digital sources are one type of audio component where I shy away from older used or vintage pieces because most new technolgy tends to improve significantly over a period of at least 10-12 years.

I'm on my 4th new CD player now since ~ 1986. Like most new technology, I've found each time it gets better without having to spend too much more each time.

I currently use a $599 Denon player/recorder. I might do better I suppose but really have no qualms with it soundwise even in comparison to good quality vinyl. Plus it makes near perfect digital recordings.

It replaced an $800 California Audio Labs Icon player which replaced a $400 Sony which replaced a $350 Magnavox.

I've considered replacing it with something like maybe a mid-range Arcam player, which I've heard good things about, but have yet to pull the trigger.

I think the biggest difference is in the recording technology.Being a die hard analog guy,the thing I have noticed is how much better the recordings sound compared to those harsh and strident cds and lps from the late 80s.Just listen to some of those fatiguing if not overwhelming early Telarc digitals! Many of todays studios are going back to more analog in their processing.I recently picked up an old PS Audio Superlink Dac that was not even considered superior back when it was new and hooked it up to my laserdisc as a transport and feel it sounds respectable.Old technology with players could sound harsh or respectable as can the newer technology.It is/was all in who designed the product and their interpretation of how it should sound.Japanese typically prefered a brighter sound as evidenced by the speakers they made back then.American designs like your Sonographe appeal more to american tastes.As suggested by the other members home audition is a must! Your "step up" might not actually sound like one.

Don,

I agree. Analog was very forgiving. Digital is brutal. A mistake in the recording studio is not forgiven in digital. Digital sounds terrible when it clips or distorts...analog tape machines have a huge advantage over digital when over driven, as it distorts in a much less brutal manner.

I would agree that overall CD recordings have improved greatly as a whole.

Still there were still some good recordings back in the 80's, weren't there? For example, I've heard some good Denon and GRP recordings from that era recently that sound pretty good.

I still suspect that both both recording technology and techniques and CD playback technologies have both improved significantly. The best results as a whole will come as a result of addressing both as needed.

Sunnyjim, I am not familiar with the Sonographe unit you have, but it sounds like it must match your system well if you've stuck with it for so long, which is very important, and was very good for its era. Maybe it really can compete with some of the latest, if not the greatest players? The only way to know for sure, as is always the case when considering alternate options in a hi fi system, is to try something that appears to be a step up, a/b compare with a sample of recordings that represent the best/worst of the old/new, and go from there.

Your question was have CD players gotten. The answer surely has to be "yes". But if you are happy with what you have even after you experience some options, why change?

When I look at new equipment, I often go to various shops and listen to the best they have to offer. This gives me a baseline reference for what is possible. THen a consider what I have currently. If the best is out of my price range, then I search for something I can afford that approaches what I consider to be the best if money were no object. I ususally end up with a good step forward without spending too much in all cases with this approach.

Good luck. Please keep us posted on your findings!

Cheers!