What is the average life expectancy of a DAC?

I have two new DACs on order, one is a new 2021 model and the other is over 25 years old (and being upgraded by the original manufacturer).....go figure.

Things continue to change moderately to rapidly in the digital arena so the question of life expectancy goes to how necessary it is for you to have the "latest and greatest" technology. At this point, I suspect many of the changes/improvements fall under "different but not overwhelmingly better" - at least with respect to SQ. Below are a few areas where I have seen continued DAC changes/improvements:

• File format - DSD, MQA, high bit rate, etc. The ability of a DAC to interpret and process different file formats is more important to some listeners than to others. My understanding is that something less than 5 percent of recorded music is available in a high resolution format
• Connectivity - USB, AES/EBU, and S/PDIF are most popular but I2S is being used by some while direct Ethernet may become the next thing
• All-in-One Units - On-board volume controls are improving and DACs offering on-board streaming are becoming more popular
• Analog Processing - Tubes are still popular with some manufacturers and others are improving SQ by paying more attention to higher quality power supplies and regulation, with some even using more advanced SMPS

It'll last longer if you brush it with First before each use.

aamiransari
What is the average life expectancy of a DAC?

If solid state and good design and treated well, I say it’s the most reliable component in the audio chain.
I've seen over 30 year old Wadia's than need no servicing, and still sound like they did.
Cheers George

I had a Levinson No 39 purchased in the late 90s. Six or so years ago, I bought a Wyred4Sound DAC-2 based on the positive reviews and thinking that technology had progressed so much that even a less expensive DAC (the W4S was about $1500) would surely be better. Not even close (although I was only using with Redbook CDs). 

I eventually sold the No39 when I bought an Yggy A2 which did sound a bit better. But the main reason I replaced it was that it didn't have USB and at the time I was just using a PC to drive it.

I still own the Yggy, but this is now relegated to a secondary system. I bought a Terminator and then replaced it with a Terminator Plus. 

I think a well-built higher end SS DAC will last for decades and will hold it's own for many years. Will you be able to better the sound in five years for the same money. Probably, but I think the improvements will be subtle. 

The more likely issue will be some new interface that becomes popular that isn't supported on existing DACs. This was the problem I had with the Levinson. 

With a dac there is not life expectancy issues but there are planned obsolescence issues like new technologies and formats that always appear.