Has Digital Audio Tech Plateaued - Is It Safe To Come Out Now?

@gdnrbob

That’s great analogy that "digital audio is going to be a lot like digital photography" With respect I’d say the higher digital audio threshold hold is here now.

I work as a commercial photographer. Once 4"x5" sheet film was needed for what now a 35mm digital body (Over 60MP) and good lens can do. It’s not just the MegaPixels. Optics, bit depth, proper exposure, focus, iso, pixel size and more matters too.

The covalent items needed for excellent digital audio playback matter too.

Properly implemented digital is far beyond vinyl. The problem is the implementation. Getting USB and ethernet connections to be noise free takes a fair amount of doing and getting the best clocking for digital is mandatory. Differences between lackadaisical and getting it right are night and day. Unfortunately it still is a long journey of trial and error and there is no consistency between different equipment and connections. For what it‘s worth: optimised streaming far beats ripping CDs and ripping your CD collection is a waste of time if you can stream them from high-res Qobus. So to answer the OP‘s question: you can come out from under your moldy 70s’ vinyl covers if you are prepared to march through the fog.

I’ve been thinking like the OP, except I haven’t even put my toe in the water. Finally see what it’s all about? I’ve seen my friend go thru upgrade after upgrade over a few years, nothing recently however.

Are things ’essentially’ up there ’enough’ to finally add a ’decent’ streamer?

Nothing expensive, just obviously better than what I am getting now thru computer card (Pandora) and cable box (live/recorded tv, youTube).

I’m referring to Streaming Music in my Office and Music Videos thru my Cable Box. I do have a PC into my Smart TV, if that route is better than Cable Box. I would not stream into my primary music system.
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Camera Analogy:

42 mp is needed for large prints (high end audio system), and allows a great deal of cropping (no no for music)

5 or 10 mp enough? for: If not printing large i.e. medium quality office system, bookshelf speakers; i.e. medium quality Home Theater (5.1, darn good front and center, ok surround, single sub for extension).

Elliott

Hi Rooze!  The big deal is that Class D amps have finally come to fulfill the promise of the concept. It's really a lot more like an AM radio transmitter than a conventional audio amp. Once some fellows who understood UHF and radar gear turned their attention to audio, amazing things began to happen. Purifi Audio (Denmark) now produces an output module that is wining acclaim in other people's products. Starke Sound (USA) offers a complete, ready to go, four channel amp (perfect for two way speakers used with electronic crossovers) that is not tiny and cute, no chrome, no sculptured casework, uses a conventional power supply, is big and heavy, and sings like a bird. To me, the Purifi and the Starke sound nearly identical, and as good or better than anything I ever heard. If anything, the Starke may be very slightly sweeter on the top end. Very.

To paraphrase Meredith Wilson, either amp will, "Grab your woofers, grab your tweeters, in the arms of a dominating irresistible grip and deliver the clearest, cleanest music you have heard in your home." I admit that's a pretty outrageous paraphrase, but it gets the point across, without resorting to "techie" talk. It is the music we want to hear, isn't it?

What amazes me the most is how whatever speaker I drive with either amp, they sound very similar. I have about 12 sets of speakers in the house to play with (and a very tolerant wife), DIY and commercial (Shahanian, Wharfdale, Golden Ear, Spika, a couple more, bookshelf & floorstanders, There is not a wide difference in "flavor" between them. The amps CONTROL the speaker. These amps are switching tiny bits of 100+ volt "juice" into the voice coils. No speaker can fail to respond to that!  And the amps, through the use of large amounts of feedback (the Purifi module has only 13 db of gain), can detect and correct any errors the speaker makes almost instantaneously. The result is extremely low noise, extremely low distortion sound from whatever speakers you are using. Of course, quality matters; but these new Class D designs will get the most from any speaker connected to them. Read the reviews. Best of all, the Starke AD4.320 (four channels, bridgeable at the flip of a switch, phono & balanced inputs, sells for under $1400. It's worth a try. The NAD M33 is about $5000.Easy choice? I am interested in the best sound for the money.

As far as sources go, I've never heard a streaming service that could beat a well recorded CD. It does offer a huge library of music, and that's a good thing. But compare Nina Simone's album "Baltimore" with any streamed version. I know some dealers are demoing with streamed music. How sad! How unfair to folks who have never heard what a good system can do!  Ah well, that;s all for now. Happy Listening.

@antigrunge2
  "Properly implemented digital is far beyond vinyl"
While I have not gone down the vinyl path yet (no plans too either), I know what you mean about properly implemented. Often we focus on a particular DAC IC, or topology: R2R, Delta Sigma, Ultra precise femto second clocks, etc - yes these are very important, but the analog section of a DAC, IME, carries at least as much weight in the final sound of a DAC or CDP; After having owned some nice DACs, from Meitner, PS Audio, Chord, Bricasti, Ayre, and MSB Discrete, I have experienced this with a Luxman D08u; It's an incredible digital front end; Never thought digital could sound this way; If we piece-wise dissect this machine we find a relatively inexpensive IC as part of the DAC chipset; The entire "digital system", however sounds like a million bucks; So, yes I agree 100% that implementation is key;