Are "vintage" DAC's worthwhile, or is this a tech that does not age well

@drew_k ,
"When D/As became a $99-500 commodity, these design principles went out the window and the focus was on the chipset and general architecture (ladder, R2R, etc). The original designs put note emphasis on the “A” instead of the “D"

This is so true! Too much talk about chips and specification numbers.
Your entire post is on the mark in regard to what really matters in high quality DACs.
Charles

Hi @dsper,
Given the diminutive size of the Soekris DAC  I imagine the optional power supply is external. I would bet its use makes a positive difference. 
Charles 

@dsper, 
I would never try to make the cast that current production DACs can not sound good, quite the contrary.  My belief is that very high quality older generation DACs can be competitive and sound as good (In some instances better)  as a modern DAC. There exists a hierarchy of sonic qualities in both groups of DACs.

In my experience whenever the power supply of a component can be upgraded it's worth the effort and additional cost.i see no reason why this wouldn't appy to the Soekris DAC.
Charles 

@lemonhaze, 
Yes keep your Wadia I see no reason to replace it, a classic piece.
I understand your characterization of the DCS. That is how they struck me as well. Always will be horses for courses.
Charles 

Hi @jond,
One key similarity between the Yamamoto YDA-01 and your Audio Note DAC is the choice to go with a very simple circuit and discrete analogue output stages. They avoided OP-amps in this stage and also shunned them for I/V conversion.

 Rationale given  was to have a zero NFB DAC circuit. All these years later and neither has saw the need to change the circuit design. . They’ve both have stood the test of time successfully.
Charles

@runkster, 
Your "humble opinion" is on the mark in my opinion 😊. For some reason the crucial analogue output stage is frequently overlooked and downplayed. Conversely the DAC chips are over credited in determining sound quality.  

I'm not surprised that the older PS Audio Ultealink sounds better than the Schitt Modi, Not at all. I'd bet the  Ultealink very likely has better quality  analogue output stage and power supply. 
Charles 

I definitely don’t agree with the pre 2010 Dacs sound worse playing Redbook CD. @Jond his Audio Note DAC and my Yamamoto DAC are pre 2010 models. They are wonderful with Redbook and sonically compete with or exceed many current generation DACs. So it seems that the listening experiences differs amongst us.
Charles

In my opinion the analogy of comparing a 15 year old PC to an older DAC is not a good example. If the priority is good sound quality then numerous vintage DACs are still desirable. This has been confirmed by many responses in this thread.

If the priority is functionality and connectivity then they do have some limations relative to current production DACs. For me,  Redbook sound quality is the more important criteria. Depends on what you're seeking. 
Charles

@miglos,
1 High quality good sounding vintage DACs can hold their own against many of the current generation DACs. A lot of the very good older DACs were well engineered and have very good power suppliers and analogue output stages. What they'll often  lack is modern connectivity and flexibility.  If your main listening is Redbook/16/44 you can obtain excellent sound quality. 

2 I can appreciate differences in DACs as easily as I can with different cartridges or other audio components. I reject the "all DACs pretty much sound the same" not by a long shot.
Charles