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What is the average life expectancy of a DAC?

Hello folks, 

With the recent profusion of relatively inexpensive DACs that are now available, I'm wondering what the average life expectancy of a good DAC is? Or, to put it another way, is it cost-effective to invest in a high(ish) end DAC like a Denafrips Terminator or a Halo May with the expectation that it will last at least 5 or more years?

Thanks!  
aamiransari
mahler123
3,645 posts
 
It's a great question that I've been wondering about.  I love my DAC, the Bryston DAC3, and it has a feature set that isn't common-4 HDMI inputs.  I think I've had it now going on 5 years.  I get curious about newer DACs but between the HDMI feature and the AKM chip, which may be hard to replace now given the fate of the AKM manufacturer, and the fact that I might retire in a few years and some concerns that we might be heading into an inflationary cycle given the levels of Government spending, I might want to hang on to this forever, perhaps.
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jasonbourne52's avatar
jasonbourne52
2,863 posts
 
An expensive DAC is a fetish object for many here! The more costly the greater the claims for aural "thrills"! 
afisher
72 posts
 
DACS that live  in the wild have a much shorter life than domesticated DACS. My DAC was a rescue DAC and while we’re not sure of its real age, it’s probably about six months old, 
erik_squires
16,882 posts
 
30 years is not too short a life span for a DAC.  There are a couple of thigns to consider though:
1 - DAC's after 2010 got much better, especially with RedBook playback so buy older models with caution.

2 - Streaming services and connectivity changes more rapidly than resolution and bit rates. 

Best,
E
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