USED D/A - worth the effort?

Interesting question. Not only for you, but also for those of us that have higher quality DAC's with mileage on them. I wonder what something like the PT1/3 combination sounds like in comparison to high end DAC's that are 5+ years old. Also, does it make more sense to adds upsampling devices to older 20bit DAC's?

I am currently in the same bind. I just wrote the thread on digital or analog d/a convertors. Basically the price on high end processors is dropping like a Led Zepplin. I saw a Proceed PDP-3 which is a $2495 processor 6 years ago selling for >$400 and not going. That's just an example there is a lot of great prices on the older (non-upsampling) d/a convertors out there. The new generation of Per. Tech., MSB and Bel Canto must be great. I'm concerned that at the prices some of them sell (under $1k) that all the money is spent on the digital section, with a mass market analog section. Do these sound better than a Sonic Frontiers SFD-1 mk II convertor? I 've seen these for about $700 and would think the tube analog output with balanced outputs would sound better than the new digital with cheaper analog section. I haven't heard one of the new generation dacs yet. Are they that good? Or is it just the latest digital hype?

Guys:
IMHO, I wouldn't recommend spending the money on upgrading the DAC. I recently acquired a new MSB Link DAC III, with upsampling upgrade to 96mmz, and the upgraded Monolithic Power Supply. I'm using a Pioneer Elite DV09 as a Transport. I have not been able to identify any difference between listening to the DVD player direct and switching to the MSB output. Perhaps it's just that the Pioneer DACs are really good? Not sure. I've really tried to discern a difference, using my Sennhesier 600s and Musical Fidelity xCans v2 - couldn't find any difference though. Cabling between the Pioneer and my Preamp (Bryston BP20) is relatively cheap Monster cable RCA (551 I think, which is about $50). Cabling between the Pioneer and the MSB is a DH Labs DH60 Digital Cable (about $60), and cabling between the MSB and the preamp is .06Meter Cardas Golden Cross RCA ($460). Before I got the MSB I had a Bel Canto DAC 1. Here, I did notice a difference but it was so subtle, and not necessarily better - more polite and refined, but less dynamic/exciting. I'm happier without it. Overall, I'd recommend spending money elsewhere on your system - that's what I'll be doing from now on anyway. Let me know if you can think of anything I can do to get some more juice out of the MSB :-) I'm personally baffled at how these DACs, and high price CD players in general get recommended so ardently by mags like Stereophile. All my other analog stereo component upgrades have been easily noticeable and satisfying, but from my experience so far it will be really difficult to justify any new digital upgrades - perhaps something like a Naim CDX or BAT VK5 would do the trick, but I don't want to take the gamble. Anyway, let me know if you've any advice. Best of luck with your upgrade choices!