DAC diminishing returns

R2R DACs do not sound the same as chip DACs. A Denfrips will not sound much of anything like a Chord.

Personally, I much prefer R2R DAC's and don't much care for the Chord sound, but for some people it's the opposite, and it's nothing to do with 'trendy', 'Apple', or 'Starbucks'. (I'd hardly call companies like these that have been successful for generations 'trendy', but maybe for some people, they are).

See if you can hear both (not necessarily Denafrips and Chord, but some good R2R and some good chip DAC) and see which, if either, you prefer.... 

I agree with ghdprenice ,  it's all relative to your system and future goals.   That holds true no matter the component.     I am a regular guy, there is no way I could assemble a great system overnight .  That said every upgrade should be more than subtle , or maybe that's not the component that should be replaced.   

Best example for me is my Zesto preamp.  That WAS the right component to buy at the time because the difference was so pronounced and appreciable by anyone who heard it .   Could I afford it new? No. But I got a great deal on a demo so it was worth every penny.  It will be my last pre for a while because in my system my preamp was the bottleneck.   Now any upgrades moving forward are fully realized.

Today chipsets are very , very good.  It's the way it's implemented and really at the end of the day how it sounds in your system.  A good dealer is invaluable and will let you take a demo unit home to evaluate.    That is my preferred way of upgrading.   A lot less trial and error.   

IMO, one should purchase dac superior to rest of setup, upgrade rest of system over time to experience full potential of dac, I'd never want to purchase dac inferior to rest of system. I like to maintain dac as superior piece, once I sense I've reached full potential, time to change out. This especially true with streaming, where a multitude of upgrades easily available.

Love my border patrol r2r dac with tubed power section, all the dac I’ll ever need. Although, still have and use my Musical fidelity v90 dac to connect my topping bc3, my kenwood md1050 mini disc recorder, and my grace digital link streamer....all connected to the v90....pretty cool.

op

I don’t want to be duped into buying something I don’t really need.

no one wants to dupe you... successful 'duping' usually requires cooperation of the 'dupee'

try stuff you are curious about in your own system, buy with return privileges, or demo a better dac if possible, or borrow from a friend -- no one can listen for you... if you can't hear a difference, then that box is ticked, just enjoy the music...