How much does DAC ‘Reality’ cost in 2017?

Thru our own efforts, some trial and some errors, copious amounts of dead presidents, and the efforts of those willing to lend their experience and tutelage to us, we have constructed strong, well balanced, highly resolving and quite engaging audio playback systems.


As a routinely insatiable lot, we’ve found analog simply is not enough for us even with the onset of Reel To Reel playback currently reentering the   neighborhood of high end audio.


Well, that and the fact many are better ‘taker outers’ than we are ‘putter backers’ of the discs, , tapes and LPs we own.


So we turn to the Digital landscape and therein we’ve done our due diligence and ripped all of our CD, DVD Audio, and Blue ray content into as high resolution as the software allows. We’ve used error correction. Been meticulous in choosing the file formats we will live with indefinitely. Amassed terra Bytes of data and thoughtfully stored it in a secure redundant fashion.


We’ve found our fad file managing and playback app, and keep seeking out the latest and greatest media managing software.


We are compelled to do so. It’s the law.

We feel the need for speed!


We thirst for convenience. We’re in a hurry! Time is crucial. We just want to kick back and click our way thru our libraries.


As we rapidly click along the avenues of our data banks, we laugh at the prospect of becoming afflicted with Attention Deficit Disorder.

Hah!

We’ve been patiently waiting for digital domains to catch up to analog performance levels and arguably they appear to have done at least that in recent years, and then some.


Currently, DSD, High res files, and streaming HD tunes have become commonplace or at least readily available via downloads and thru services, respectively.


DAC choices abound. No longer are we forced to ransom the first born, or the last born, depending on which is more the problem child or how attractive this prospect may be, to acquire outstanding digital playback...


Do we still find ourselves in need of the $10K, $20K or more DAC and clock arrangements to achieve sonic orgasms?


Is it possible now to plug and play new DACs into our systems for far less and get ‘goose bumps’? Are there readily achievable DAC options now that regularly put our Jaws onto our laps or the closest floor affordably?


Or must we still chase the upper ranges of MSB, EMM, Meitner, and DCS, etc., to finally put this endeavor to bed?


In essence, which DAC (s) in 2017 are undeniably capable of delivering the goods! Presence. Organics. Impact. Transparency. Detail. Resolution and all of it in a sensible well heeled fashion that places the artists in your home, or yourself at the recital venue across all the current digital formats?


What did you buy to solve the digital conversion conundrum?

Or what are you planning to buy to settle the DAC concern?


Lastly, for our dream sequence, what would you buy if you had $5K to $10K (more or less) to drop on digital conversion, not counting cabling?


Oh, yeah, and of course, for posterity, and me, (cause I’m going to need a new DAC) Why that one instead of some other?

…. Undying gratitude.