DAC's from the past, are any of them really worth much today?

I agree that DACs have made a lot of progress… but be careful. There is no question there are significant differences in budget DACs and high end DACs. Taking for example Schiit Yggdrasil as a budget DAC and >$5K (depending on exact brand) like Linn, Berkeley, Audio Research, etc. Real high end stuff sounds a lot more like real music.

As an example over the last week I compared Schiit Yggdrasil, Schiit Gungnir.  Linn mid range Selekt, Audio Research 9, and . The Schiit DACs were far inferior DACs. The treble was primarily high frequency hash, the brass not natural sounding and the bass, muddled together three bass line notes onto one. 

Aesthetix Pandora….. was and still is a giant killer….. HRS isolation, tube outputs, custom, FPGA filters, faraday cage, galvanic isolation…erc……. Jim White…. an engineer w ears….

We should talk about specific models and not in broad terms. For example, Dcs Bartok, even in apex variant (with R.Nucleus) is product that does not come close to Dcs Puccini (playing discs)...I think, like in many other things, (except perhaps with new d class amps) 'new is better' is only a marketing slogan

I have a Wadia 321. They can be had for around $1k. Im sure there are better sounding units available but im content with my 321.   

Come on GHD, first generation CD players were not that bad.  Yes differences, but come on now. 

Most people would not consider an Yggy' as entry level. $2300 is real money.  A Modi ( $130 ) is entry level.  Maybe $5K is where a bigger step is, but I'll never have one to know. Listening to music is not only for the 1/2 or 1/2 of 1% income level.