What the Best Dac have you heard or owned. How could you tell it was that good.

@dz13 IME the difference between a good sub $10K DAC like a Lampizator Baltic V4 and a great $25K DAC like a Lampizator Poseidon can only be realized/heard in a high-end system, so it makes no sense to invest $25K in a DAC unless each of the rest of the components that make up your system is $$$$. Ergo, folks who pronounce that there is no point period in a $25K DAC don't own a high-end system and should avoid making blanket statements about expensive hifi gear if they want to avoid sounding like the guy with the smallest *yacht at the posh Palm Beach yacht club.

DAC is definitely big time important..it changes one form of signal to another completely different animal. Great digital engineering does not always make it to analog. Like  Greg i would put tge Wadax in that upper tier but it’s very system / room and preference ( taste ) dependent …. like ALL of audio. I like my Aesthetix Signature but it’s  probably time to get some loaners in house for a serious listen. Rockna, Mola, MSB, EMM , Lampizator…. likely to make the list based on what ive heard ( NOT on utube… duh )… so far….

@kairosman great points.  Try to explain that to some folks and they think we are being uppity.  When you have great components you got to feed it the best you can through the entire system. A lot of the time it will require a substantial investment. Like getting a high end dac. 

Audio By Van Alstine Insight multibit dac from 2008.  Very musical, non fatiguing dac  that I can listen to for hours on end. Best part was I paid $320 for it delivered. 

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.