Would you rent a $14,000 DAC for $75 per day?

Depending on if it was already broken in and how much shipping with insurance was, I might give it a try.  But I really don’t want to pay $75 a day to burn in something or pay an additional $500 in shipping costs.  See if anyone within a couple hours drive from you has what you are looking for.

Thanks for all the brutal replies. Lots of shade, but I still like the idea. This business model is not without precedent. 
 

Food for thought - I can rent a Leica M11 camera (MSRP $8000) from Lensrentals.com  - $67/day for 7 days. They don’t take a deposit, but do offer optional insurance to limit my liability. It’s shipped to my house in a Pelican case (roughly the size of the Tambaqui Pelican case) for $25 each way FedEx 2 day. 

Could I purchase the Leica from a retailer with a 30 day return policy? Yes, but I’d be putting $8000 down and be expected to follow through. I’d rather rent it for a week, decide if I like it, then purchase preowned for a $3000 discount.

No!!!!!!!!  

Great idea if you were a dealer and any rent goes towards purchase. But without that... no. I wouldn't rent one... and you have so many potential liabilities.. No.

@audio_bidder 

Your comparison with rental cameras is interesting. If this is the right assumption, it seems that the likelihood of goods being stolen in HiFi is much higher than in specialty cameras for unknown reasons. Using your own equipment for this purpose and enduring the wear and tear of shipping and Joe Blo’s use may break your heart. Having experienced my equipment stolen and broken by FedEx, I would not like to pursue such a dream, as it seems to be a nightmare in-waiting. Yet, I’d love to rent or otherwise, sample gear from known friends I can drive to in my systems.

The list of possible problems is just too long, even for stores to give out gear for customers to try at home, this is rare enough. Show me a store that will lend you a Tambaqui DAC...

You need insurance (if the equipment creates an issue at the renter’s home), the equipment needs insurance (if faults develop), and the shipping needs insurance (FedEx don’t payout on their own insurance). I shake my head... nice dream though.

Even for HiFi societies or clubs to ’exchange’ or ’share’ equipment is a challenging dynamic.