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"Vintage" high end gear vs new and upgrade path?

I'm pondering a couple issues that relate to each other.  Let's start with vintage vs new part.   The system is ripped straight from the 90's but was pretty much a Stereophile "A" class setup in its day.  Here it is: 

  • Rega P3 with numerous upgrades & Exact 2 cartridge (new)
  • Threshold FET10/pc phono preamp,
  • Sonic Frontiers SFT-1 => Assemblage D2D-1 ==> SFD-2 Mk3
  • Krell KBL preamp (recapped) ==> ML No. 332 amp  (recapped)
  • Maggie MGIIIa's (recent factory rebuild)
  • Music server (repurposed HP server) w/ Asus Xonar card feeding D2D-1
Issue 1:  Have >>analog<< electronics really improved much in the last 25 years?  My sense is that the lower and midrange gear is better, but does that translate to the high end?  This stuff sounds pretty damn good and I'm skeptical that I'd be able to make much improvement without spending vast sums of $$.  What would the weak link be here?

Issue 2:  Despite improvements in digital I'm also skeptical about how much real sonic improvement there has been in high end DACs, especially when it gets beyond 24b/96khz source material (system above is good up to 24/96).  I'm also skeptical about the claimed improvements from DSD over PCM, so I'm ignoring that for the time being.   Obviously connectivity, music servers, the digital audio chain and computer anything has improved greatly and is vastly cheaper than in 1995.  But how far does that actually extend to the sonics?  My sense is not so much.

At the end of the day I'm interested in any upgrade(s) that would create a real, hair-on-the-back-of-your-neck improvement without spending $10k.  But I've convinced myself that so much of what I read about would be only yield an incremental sonic improvement, and maybe even a downgrade.  I need a strategy - which might just be "leave it alone and just enjoy."  Any comments welcome, thanks.
raueda1
sbank's avatar
sbank
2,038 posts
 
Here's the perspective of a guy running 1988 Sound Labs and late 90s era Lamm amps: Digital servers/streamers and DACs have improved greatly and the computeraudiophile.com  community is a much more informed place to get up to speed than here. Yes, a few folks here are on top of it all, but there are many ways to get far better digital sound than when you built your system.
Since you mention using a server already, you are probably well positioned to take advantage of it all.
Many manufacturers offer home trials with inexpensive returns (e.g. 10% restocking fee) and if you are located far from audio buddies & dealers, it's worth going this route. When exposed to many DACs, servers & top flight disk players, I became convinced that improvements in this area are many and competitive forces have brought price/performance ratios far better than when Wadia, EMM & DCS were dominating digital playback(IMHO, a decade or more ago). 
Ethernet isolation, better digital filters, power USB implementations, better power supplies, more convenient control apps & more are all common. 
Cheers,
Spencer
oleschool's avatar
oleschool
630 posts
 
I want to be clear i wasn't saying anything you have is not great gear.I stated that imo  vinyl will make those maggie sing and if it were my upgrade path i would look at my tt cartridge 1st as the weakest leak in your system.( if your not into or willing to dive back into vinyl again i get it )We never heard about your cabling ,room treatment etc.The room acoustics are often overlooked and it puzzles me .In my situation and many others properly treating a room is like a major component upgrade and in most cases around a g..
Good luck
I like your setup 

tubegroover
2,279 posts
 
I agree with Spencer's comments. They are both thoughtful and certainly worth exploring based on my personal experiences as well.
minorl
740 posts
 

Yes, electronics have improved over the years. 

However, to benefit from such, it may take you well outside your established price point to see/hear a noticeable improvement.

I also agree that slight adjustments make more sense to me that huge large scale upgrades.

The TT arm and cartridge for instance.  The DAC.  DAC technology has greatly improved and you can find some really good used DACS on the market.

But, if it were me, I would listen to what I have and enjoy. When I hear something that isn't satisfying, causes listener's fatigue, lack of space, etc. I would slowly go down the one item at a time upgrade path until I am at a point where I am happy.

I coach high school track and field also and I always tell my athletes that there is always someone better, faster, can jump higher, etc.  So don't get caught up thinking and believing that you are the best. Maybe on that particular day you were, but...

In the case of audio equipment, there is always something out there that is better.  However, to get to that point may cost a ridiculous amount and (depending on the person) may not be worth it.

Listen and enjoy and go one step at a time.


lloydc's avatar
lloydc
549 posts
 

I think your Rega arm and dac may be the weakest links.  I upgraded a Rega arm about as far as I could, but when I moved to Origin Live replacements, it made a huge difference.  IMO, the old Rega arm is good, but entry-level, no matter what you do to it.  As others have pointed out, digital has made greater strides in the last decades than analogue.

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