I didn't know my converters were bad

I didn't say that, i would certainly take the tape hiss with all the great that stands ahead of it. I said the most coveted gear today is all 40+ years old, I don't think that's very debatable, though I'm sure someone will try 8)

Understood, but there is something far less fatiguing about the old style of listening to my ears, which lets me enjoy listening to music longer, does that make it better? To me it does, as far as op amps go, I'd trade my modern op amp console for Wally's API in a happy heartbeat 8)
   For a mid level studio such as mine, I'd rather be in today's gear, if I had the dream studio, it would have very few modern pieces in it. JMO

There is something very seductive about digital technology and how it's evolving. Just look how people upgrade their phones as soon as possible (guilty as charged). Does the old phone work? Yes - BUT - it's not as fast, not as big, not as advanced. Everyone knows that newer is better, right? Maybe, maybe not, but it's what we believe. That's what all the marketing hype tells us. The confusing thing is that the hype is often backed up by real change - the new version is bigger, faster, better, and obviously so. Oh, and the old phone (or thing, for this thread, a digital converter!) is not as sexxxy as the new model. This one gets me, every time. So when I look at a product like the Pure 2, it's like courting a new girlfriend. I want it. Now. This, my friends, is the underlying driver of GAS. The desire to possess, to use. And then throw away. Or endlessly collect (that's me).

I love my Burls, but the eye wanders, searching for that incremental bump in hotness. And what is hotness? As the old aphorism goes, "Beauty is in the eye of the Beer Holder".

I want new monitors, too. Now.

With great mics and cutting edge preamps already in the gear bag, conversion was always the last and most important link in the chain only because it was the variable, the other stuff is already as close to perfect as one might want.

Since the early 1990's I used eval pcb's from the chip manufacturers to "encode" my CD's. I would buy them as soon as the ADC part was released and then I would rework the analog sections to taste. That way I always had the "latest and greatest" ADC technology. Yes, it made a huge difference over the sound I heard on commercial releases.

Converters are not the problem anymore, it's the understanding of how to work in a digital world. Old gear can sound great but can be a pain in the butt. It seems there are a lot of modern classics to be had. Times haves changed and there is so much information about everything. Why have a great converter in a sub par room...that would be like taking a picture of a piece of shit with the most expensive camera in a poorly lit room.

This is seriously the best way to find out if it matters.
Trying out experimentally if it matters to you with your existing equipment.
Best would be ABX testing, same day, same weather, same situation, same mood, same pair of ears...you get the point...
If you need days or weeks to find out something sounds better, it is very likely that it is expectation, something psychological rather than everything else.

April 1 right?

I think that it's in the best financial interest of sites like Recording Revolution as well as gear magazines and gear manufacturers to perpetuate the concept that anyone can make 'hit records' with inexpensive gear. Most companies sell a boatload more low end gear than high end, and buying low end gear can be a 'gateway drug' to buying the more expensive stuff (ask me how I know). And of course what's good for the manufacturers is good for ad revenue in magazines/websites....

It is true that great records can be made with cheap gear, but it sure is easier with the nice stuff.

Nope, I gave him more time because he made major upgrades for no charge, and I'm north/east till may 5th 8)