PS audio new 25K dac and the psychological effect of owning a company's best.

Admittedly, I have not been keeping up with the info on the proposed TSS DAC from PS Audio and do not know if the $25K will be the release price.   As I recall, this is to be a 2-box unit with one for digital and the other for analog.   Ted Smith is a very bright guy and I believe the end result will be impressive.   I suspect there will be trickle down improvements to their less expensive unit designed to replace the current DirectStream DAC, which has had a long run.  I also believe they are designing for future enhancements in what the unit will do with long term life cycle.  

Now, that being said, there are a number of very high performing DACs now available for significantly less money new.   Audio gear suffers from significant depreciation.   That can be a real downer for original owners who look to sell and potentially a boon to buyers for preowned.  

We can bet there will be lots of professional reviews, some just regurgitating specs and marketing, but there are also some really good reviewers who go further in depth and compare with other similar and less priced units.  

I suggest it is premature to crown or demonize the TSS.   Some will never buy it due to its expense or out of choice, but let's see how it stacks up in value and performance once it is out.  

First, to answer your question - I always try to buy what I believe I will eventually end up with (usually it's the model costing a bit more than the model I'm currently looking at), but the TOTL doesn't always equate to the best quality, so, no.  Now, to address PS Audio in general - their equipment doesn't hold its value well, so expect to lose a ton of money when you are looking to unload it.  Additionally, going all out on a DAC is an unwise move because the technology for them changes much faster than other pieces in the chain.  PS Audio is not the best at future-proofing their equipment and they're padding their prices due to their trade-in policy.  If anyone here has enough disposable income that they can consider a $25k DAC and dump their current perfectly good equipment for a big loss, more power to you, it's your money.

Same old song and dance.. Let's see... how about a Chord Dave at less then half ?? 

The proof will be in its delivery. If the price is indeed $25k, it will have an uphill battle to prove itself in a field of great, less expensive options from the likes of the DAVE + M Scaler, dCS Bartok, or Denafrips Terminator to name a few.

I can never buy a used component when the seller says something like “I’m selling this to move up the line.”
I’m not sure why but I feel it might be relevant in some way to the original post :)