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Just wondering...

Sorry about the poor choice for the title but I just couldn’t compress my question into only a few words. I’ve been watching A’gon to find a good deal for a decent DAC in the $1K price range to improve my CD listening experience. As I look through the listings, I see DACs priced in tens of thousands - saw a Boulder 2020 with retail price of $32K listed for $15K. Probably an awesome bargain for somebody. To some degree I can understand speakers selling for crazy prices partly justified by their sound as well as their "furniture" value. I’m also sure a $20K pair of speakers will still sound incredible ten years from now. I can even sort of get amplifiers being a little crazy in price but they seem to last forever, at least technology-wise. I’m still loving my 35 year old McIntosh amp but can’t imagine using the same DAC even three or five years from now. What am I missing? Can a $32K DAC sound that different from a $1K DAC?

128x128kalali
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
eis,

That has to be the most stupid "review" ever published by Stereophile. If the guy can’t afford air conditioning, by all means that should be addressed way before considering any audio equipment. How someone like that could become a reviewer for a major audiophile publication is beyond me.

There is a proper hierarchy of life’s pursuits, well represented by Maslow’s concept in his "Hierarchy of Needs", that makes clear the ludicrous nature of seeking self-actualization ahead of satisfying physiological needs. Perhaps an advent of the Milllennial generation?

Dave
mesch
3,527 posts
 
Dave, after your response I had to check out the 'review'. I learned more about the reviewers' wife, living conditions, audio budget than the amplifiers. Must have needed to take up some space in that Stereophile issue. Though I am not familiar with Maslow's hierarchy, mine starts with oxygen, avoidance of thermal extremes does play in somewhere down the line. :-)
wtf's avatar
wtf
307 posts
 
@eis .. thanks for sharing. I actually enjoyed the article. His perspective is one I'm sure many can relate to (except maybe for the air conditioning thing). My "listening space" is my living room and while I live alone, I want my gear to work with my lifestyle and taste. Rarely, it seems, do I read an audio review from someone who doesn't have a dedicated listening space. 
dlcockrum's avatar
dlcockrum
2,190 posts
 
wtf, what exactly did you learn from that article concerning how to improve your audio enjoyment in your shared listening space?

Dave
wtf's avatar
wtf
307 posts
 
Absolutely nothing. I wasn’t really looking to learn something either. FWIW, more often than not I read about all things audio for enjoyment. It's a hobby, no? Everything from music to different loudspeaker/amp/preamp/DAC designs interests me. I saw this article as more of an essay rather than review.
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