Just wondering...

kalali,
For the last 4-5 years I pursued my system upgrades and find that the best sound comes from components and accessories which work well together.  Having said that, I think that having better quality earlier in the process is a good thing, so spending more on a DAC might be better than spending more on the "down line" components.
I had my eyes opened to what a better DAC could do, when I dipped my toe into the "higher end", buying my first SACD player, whose internal DAC made my regular CDs sound better, capturing much more detail than I ever knew was on those CDs.
About two years ago I bought a stand alone DAC (PS Audio DirectStream DAC), and that unit still puts a smile on my face.
As for the price, to say a $32k DAC is "worth the price", only you can make that judgement.
One thing I've found, shopping on Audiogon, is that there are people out there who seem to like to try new things, do so for a few months, then offer them on the site, where you can snag some good values.  I've bought a few things that way, and haven't been disappointed.

IMO - Think, comparable. Your amp(s) and speakers are the foundation of your system. I would get those to the level that you want, and that level should be to the point where you can easily hear differences to whatever else is plugged in. Otherwise, you're playing the game of smoke and mirrors, and wishful thinking. If you're content with your McIntosh amp and speakers, or you think that you're content, then you should hear obvious (big) differences between a $1K Dac and a $32K Dac. If not, then either the $32K Dac is BS, so try something else, or you need to invest in a new amp and/or speakers.
Kenny

" High End home audio is extremely dishonest business and it's blown like a soap bubble."

Only if you don't know what you're doing. If you let someone sell you a 32k dac, you're an idiot. At that level, you need the skills to make the decision yourself, or you have no business buying it to begin with.

Most people that think high end audio is an extremely dishonest business, come to this conclusion because they made bad choices. The term snake oil seems to be a popular label for expensive audio products. But what most people forget about snake oil, is that its relative. Here's an example. A friend of mine who loves music but doesn't know much about the equipment, wanted to upgrade his system and asked me for advice. After looking at his system, I thought a new CD player would be the best place to start, so I lent him one of mine. It was far more expensive than what his current player costs, and he never heard of the brand. He seemed a bit nervous, but I told him to relax. The whole point of me lending him a player was so he doesn't make an expensive mistake.

I said to use the player for a week or so, and report back when he formed an opinion. To make a long story short: Snake oil. He couldn't tell the difference between his player and mine. I was a bit surprised when he told me this so I went over to listen to his system. I had no problem hearing the differences between the 2. 

So, was my expensive CD player that sells for 7x more than my friends really snake oil? I don't think so, but my friend did. The cheap CD player was a Sony 5 disc changer($100), and the expensive one was my Rotel RCD-1072 ($700). In the audiophile world, the Rotel is considered to be one of the best budget CD players of all time. TAS gave it product of the year. Not budget product of the year, but actual product of the year which competes with everything, regardless of price. Its all relative.

Does not cost anywhere near $32K to make a great sounding DAC.

Some of the most highly regarded ones like Benchmark for example cost $1000 or so.

I have an mhdt DAC that is very competitive I picked up for $300 used.

So what do you get for teh extra $$$s?

Good question.

I’ve heard very expensive DCS DACs used in 6 digit systems that were very good indeed but could not say they were really much if any better than the ones most people who care about good sound use. I do not feel I am missing much if anything of real value by not having one.

But like most boutique items its a value judgement and I'm sure some with the $$$s to spend will find their value in pricier DACs to go along with all the rest.

IS Donald Trumps DAC gold plated for example?

mb1audio02

True you need to know what you're doing, but some of us don't and that's where real industry kicks in for mega profits.

That’s where simple math kills all the science behind:
calculate parts + chassis + labor and you’ll get max of $800 for that $32k ’state of art’ advertised piece of home audio playa.
Then you can proudly say weather it’s worth it or not.