The sound quality from DACs - is it all the same?

"What if there are two dozen cars that go fast, handle great, and stop good? You gonna waste your time test driving all of them? Or does it make more sense to filter them first?"

Yes, and not a waste of time to drive all of them, if you can. Specs on paper does not always translate to "enjoyable to drive". Same as audio, trying it first hand matters if you care about what  you are buying. Specs-only people usually miss out. Same with audio, some of the best spec'd DACs I tested were not engaging to listen to. Great on paper, sound, not always enjoyable or engaging to listen to.  

I totally agree with some here ,. Study the specifications of said component and understand any qualified test results like ASR does  ,,..You will definitely get the best sounding system your money can buy at most price points however be warned up to a limit of course, anything above certain dollars is fantasy make believe in your mind ,…

It is incredible that people can think that sound is ONLY an illusion in our mind...

Complete ignorance of the importance of acoustic for survival of mankind and ignorance about how to learn to listen because listening is a learning experiment..

If a stereo system plays in a forest...................................

@jssmith 

"What if there are two dozen cars that go fast, handle great, and stop good? You gonna waste your time test driving all of them? "

Nope-- I read pro and user reviews to get an idea of various DACs' sonic profiles then based on that, I listen to as many as I can (within my budget, of course).I listened to 6 DACs in my system before making a choice. 

Music is very important to me so, no-- it's most certainly NOT a "waste if time"-- quite the opposite!!!

If you regard listening to gear as a waste of time, I cannot fathom why you are even attracted to this hobby.