Your preamp, amplifier cables and speakers are solid. These components are the bones of any system and tend to have much better longevity than digital because they do not evolve as quickly as digital.
The semiconductor industry responsible for all that digital stuff operates in a 12 month cycle known as "Moore's Law". Moore's law (google Gordon E. Moore) essentially states that transistor count doubles and price halves every 12 months. This has been the case since 1965 when Mr. Moore authored his law. While this may or may not be interesting, it means that semiconductor companies constantly churn new products to take advantage of manufacturing cost reductions and product performance improvements.
It takes much less time to fall behind the digital technology curve than in analog technology. The vacuum tube is Exhibit A as an example of analog staying power. These technology curves should be a consideration for all future system purchases. Think long term for amps, preamps and speakers but think Moores Law (short term) when it comes to digital and adjust your return on investment calculation accordingly.
All things can be improved, but in your system the digital provides the biggest opportunity for improvement. It could be as simple as upgrading the power supply to your rDAC but thats pretty tweaky. There are a lot of really good DACs in the $1K to $2K price range that will noticeably improve your system and you can do it all over again in about 12 to 18 months.
But then you might start noticing a difference in transports... :)
Greg
The semiconductor industry responsible for all that digital stuff operates in a 12 month cycle known as "Moore's Law". Moore's law (google Gordon E. Moore) essentially states that transistor count doubles and price halves every 12 months. This has been the case since 1965 when Mr. Moore authored his law. While this may or may not be interesting, it means that semiconductor companies constantly churn new products to take advantage of manufacturing cost reductions and product performance improvements.
It takes much less time to fall behind the digital technology curve than in analog technology. The vacuum tube is Exhibit A as an example of analog staying power. These technology curves should be a consideration for all future system purchases. Think long term for amps, preamps and speakers but think Moores Law (short term) when it comes to digital and adjust your return on investment calculation accordingly.
All things can be improved, but in your system the digital provides the biggest opportunity for improvement. It could be as simple as upgrading the power supply to your rDAC but thats pretty tweaky. There are a lot of really good DACs in the $1K to $2K price range that will noticeably improve your system and you can do it all over again in about 12 to 18 months.
But then you might start noticing a difference in transports... :)
Greg