Question About DACs

@headphonedreams

Let’s say the frequency response is within +/-0.1dB, distortion below -90dBFS, crosstalk better than -90dBFS, no aliasing or images above -90dBFS due to the reconstruction filter, volume linearity within +/-0.5dB down to -120dBFS (20Bit), jitter suppression better than -90dBFS, etc.

I would like one reason as to how it could not be transparent.

If you have heard differences while blind listening, then it was an issue with the test (not double-blind, not level matched, and not quick switching), or it’s simply differences that don’t exist, which could be verified by also doing an ABX.

People just don’t want to hear that their $5000 DAC isn’t audibly better than a $250 one. 
 
How can we hear things that aren’t picked up by measurements? Solid state DACs aren’t like tube amps where the final sound output is based on the interaction between the tube amp and the speakers, a solid state DAC has a fixed output.

Think you've made your point, pal! Though nobody is interested in arguing it.

“People just don’t want to hear that their $5000 DAC isn’t audibly better than a $250 one.”

Not looking to land on either side of this argument, but from looking at the length and energy that goes into posting it seems that 

“people don’t want to hear that their $250 DAC isn’t as good as a $5000 one.”

is is an equal if not greater force in this debate.

@joshfilm

“people don’t want to hear that their $250 DAC isn’t as good as a $5000 one.”

is is an equal if not greater force in this debate.

Not really, measurements of the $250 Topping D50, I would like to know what stops it from being audibly transparent. Please don’t say “lacks breath” or other non-descript terms. The Benchmark DAC3 and Chord Qutest are better, but I would put money on wether one can hear a difference. I have nothing against buying expensive DACs if they perform better and look nicer, just realize even $250 will get the job done just as good as far as our ears are concerned.

i would say nothing stops it from being audibly transparent....
That said, I’ve never heard 2 DACs that sound the same (good or bad, cheap or expensive). I will add (controversially, I know) that the DACs that sound the most alike are the boring-as-cardboard ones that seem to exist at every price point. So it seems to me that DACs that fall short of sounding “real”, “musical”, “awesome” (take your pick) all seem to fall short in the same way or a very similar way. Which I suspect, is likely because they were being benchmarked by measurements alone or primarily (and with the same measurement criteria available to everyone).
It seems that getting beyond that predictable sound (which is achieved by few DACs and fewer still that actually do it well without distortions that become fatiguing over time) is a bit of an engineering art form.
Most $500 DACs fail the test, most $5000 DACs fail the test, and some $50k DACs fail too. So it would not surprise me at all that a $500 DAC could outperform a $5k DAC. But this does not prove the point you are trying to prove... and in making the point you are showing a tin ear to the real progress being made in digital, exemplified by a few examples of excellent engineering that are getting past basic benchmarks to achieve remarkable results. Feel free to stick to your guns on this, but the alternative is to go and listen to a few of the products that are being highlighted as truly superlative (which admittedly are hard to identify in the ‘everything-is-amazing’ audio press) and see if you can’t hear something fresh and new on the digital audio landscape.
either way, enjoy the music most of all.