When is a DAC old?

[the caretaker]

One of the biggest improvements to DAC design was going to a discrete R2R design...

I found a big improvement to some of my dacs esp the older ones was using a schiit eitr..( for streaming purposes )

 

[Mr Ian]

I still have a v1 young dac in system, tried several better measuring chinese dacs. Different sounds, some bits better some bits worse but i prefer the Young so it is still in system

 

[TheDecameron]

Some swear by early 80s 1541 14 bit DACs

I swear at them.

 

[Tigerjones]

I listen to the DAC in my JVC AX-Z1010TN every day and have absolutely no wish to upgrade or change it. That's 30+ years old!

Yeah couldn’t agree more. As is the DAC in my Sony 338ESD and that’s probably just as old.

 

[TheDecameron]

Yeah couldn’t agree more. As is the DAC in my Sony 338ESD and that’s probably just as old.

Yeah but it’s black right? And it doesn’t have any cataract inducing blue LEDs.

 

[Gervais Cote]

A DAC is old when a new chip arrives so about every 6 months.......
But a DAC is outclassed when you find a new one you can listen to 8 hours in a row without any listener fatigue and stop shopping for something else different but not necessarily better.

 

[tuga]

One of the biggest improvements to DAC design was going to a discrete R2R design...

Making the DAC unnecessarily expensive and complex for identical technical performance can hardly be seen as an improvements, but it's an attractive topology in terms of pride-of-ownership, a bit like a mechanical watch.

 

[earlofsodbury]

My 18-bit AD1865-based DAC dates from 1999, and displaced a five year old 24-bit model that is still current in its manufacturer's range.

I find differences from DAC-DAC are usually small and subtle (unless wilfully tweaked to stand-out), but those small differences can really nag and annoy when listened to over prolonged periods. A quick A/B just doesn't highlight it when it's so qualitative and subjective.

 

[Gervais Cote]

My 18-bit AD1865-based DAC dates from 1999, and displaced a five year old 24-bit model that is still current in its manufacturer's range.

I find differences from DAC-DAC are usually small and subtle (unless wilfully tweaked to stand-out), but those small differences can really nag and annoy when listened to over prolonged periods. A quick A/B just doesn't highlight it when it's so qualitative and subjective.

It took me a few days if not a few weeks to realize the ESS pro DAC was getting on my nerves compared to an AK4497 DAC ! I kept the AK.

 

[GT]

The newer DAC chips are generally smaller, easier to make, as well as cheaper and generally not better than the model that went before...