How does 10+ year old technology compare to modern: Musical Fidelity M1 DAC

Within a given DAC budget (say, ~$5k) I'd go with a used ref. model - even if it's quite a few years old - rather than a new "mid-level" ditto. From my chair the DAC chip evolution, with a few exceptions, has if not stagnated then moved very slowly over some years now. The real culprit is its implementation, the quality of the analogue output stage, PSU and overall construction. Some recent DAC chips, like the dual-board chip from Hypex, provide for a staggering resolution and transparency, but I find it comes at the expense of tonal authenticity - i.e.: it robs tonal richness to my ears, even if it possibly cuts away what's considered excessive "fat" and which then that calls for substantial re-tweaking of acoustics (less absorption), speaker placement, etc. 

@phusis 

+1

@kraftwerkturbo the Gumby outperforms that oppos internal DAC by leaps and bounds. It just opens up the music and adds depth to such a greater extent.

I have a Oppo 105, a Schiit Yiggy , and a Schiit Uber Bifrost that’s almost 10 years old. The old Bifrost is significantly better than the Oppo. My Yiggy is off to Schiit for a Unison card and the Bifrost also bests the DAC in my Innuos Pulse Mini and my Cambridge DAC Magic 200. Avoid the original Bifrost, but the Uber or newer punches way above its price point ! Cheers, Mike B. 

Yesterday, I just picked up my Schitt Yggi+ OG after it was sent to Colorado for a high-end audio fest. I wanted the people there to compare top end DACs against the Yggi+ and give me some feedback.

This was posted on Head-fi.

Another Head-Fi’er, @yyzSB, sent his Schiit Audio Yggdrasil+ OG DAC with Danny, and I got a chance to listen to it not only driving my Immanis through my Zahl HM1 and VM-1a, but also through Danny’s Feliks Audio Envy. It has great tonal density—more than my Dave. And it does bass drum better than I think I’ve ever heard. Not only with the impact of the drum strikes, but the hollow reverb (I mean hollow in a good way here) of the sound of that strike bouncing around inside the drum. Timbre across the rest of the FR, and technicalities, were a touch behind my Dave, with the Yggi+ sounding a hair more digital. But the Yggi+ is also much less expensive and offers insane SQ per $.

The person I picked up the DAC from is a musician with incredible hearing. He told me he liked the Mola Mola Tambaqui a bit more, but he did say something that really surprised me. He said that in a blind test even he likely could not tell the difference.

I have a Schitt Yggi+ LIM also and I am going to convert it to the More Is Better because it sounds more like the OG.

Both of the DACs mentioned cost $15k.