I think the capacitors in the vintage gear has, for the most part, really been improved upon. Not sure about the circuits.
At the very least, replacing coupling caps in tube preamps is usually a big deal.
If I had a Sonic Frontiers 2 or 3 with upgrades, I would have a very difficult time finding any preamp I thought sounded meaningfully better.
As for PCM, I can't hear any better beyond 96/24. I seem to slightly like DSD better, but even with a DSD DAC, I whince at the file sizes. MQA for me is pure snake oil with no noticeable improvements I could not attribute to re-mastering.
What I will say is that the current crop of DAC's is usually always pretty smooth and dynamic. It's worth listening.
Best,
Erik
At the very least, replacing coupling caps in tube preamps is usually a big deal.
If I had a Sonic Frontiers 2 or 3 with upgrades, I would have a very difficult time finding any preamp I thought sounded meaningfully better.
As for PCM, I can't hear any better beyond 96/24. I seem to slightly like DSD better, but even with a DSD DAC, I whince at the file sizes. MQA for me is pure snake oil with no noticeable improvements I could not attribute to re-mastering.
What I will say is that the current crop of DAC's is usually always pretty smooth and dynamic. It's worth listening.
Best,
Erik