How much does a DAC do the more expensive it is?

@oddiofyl 

My current DAC is completely void of features , the only thing it does better than the adi2 is sound better.   That RME is good but the  excellent sounding LAB 12 DAC is much more engaging to listen to. 

Understood.  However, for some, it seems that sound quality and listening engagement/enjoyment are secondary concerns.

Charles 

@oddiofyl What else could you tell me about the Lab12? I've been intrigued by their products for a while. 

Here's a tangential question: Why does Tidal Master quality streaming through my Oppo/Schiit combo sound so much better than playing a CD through the same combo? I'm talking of identical releases of CD and streaming selection. 

In my case, being a professional studio musician, I'm extremely sensitive to the power of music, the sound of instruments, and in particular groove.  My DAC solution (M-Scaler/Dave) has both excellent clarity (where instruments sound more like they'd sound in the room than with lesser solutions) that I think the Dave is responsible for, and it grooves really well (I feel your my bobbing, my toe tapping, I get sucked into the music's rhythm better) that I think the M-Scaler's sorting of transients contributes to.  But these are only a guess as to why it's working well for me.  As in all things musical in both my amateur and professional life, it all boils down to "is the music moving me?"   In neither life can I accept that the music not move me.  So the expenditure was worth it to upgrade.