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No such thing as a future proof DAC...

I've been fooled in the past by digital gear manufacturers claiming their DAC or digital gear is future proof. Case in point was the Cambridge Audio CD2 player back in the 1980s that had replaceable boards for the DAC chip. Great CDP at the time but never was really upgradeable. Now, I keep on hearing about new DACs that are future proof (eg, BiFrost DAC). The only DAC that I know that has a long history for being upgradeable is may be the MSB DACs, but they can cost an arm and a leg. May be dCs, but again mucho expensive. Do you believe in the hype? Doesn't seem to be in the manufacturers interest to offer a truly upgradeable digital gear when a new version can be offered after a year that requires you to buy a new unit.
dracule1

Showing 2 responses by dracule1

dracule1 OP
1,085 posts
 
Douglas, better definition and soundstage in newer DACs may be true but most newer DACs seem to miss the mark when it comes to naturalness of timbre, pace and rhythm, and smoother sound compared to the older ladder DAC chips and some NOS designs. I dunno but I don't think newer necessarily sound better IMO.

But getting back to upgradeable DACs, most seem like marketing ploy. Some take too much of an advantage by offering too frequent upgrades you would think the designer has no clue.
dracule1 OP
1,085 posts
 
Steve N. You bring up an interesting point about built in digital filtering in modern DAC chips. Do you think digital filtering is bad all together? I believe the Zanden DAC relies solely on analogue filtering. MSB on the other hand has separate 32 (64?) bit digital filtering because their DAC "chip" is not a chip but discrete resistors. Seems like digital filtering is something that can be more easily upgradeable or future proof if the filter is separate from the DAC chip.
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