Do hi-end DACs offer true value or diminishing return...

Today $700 can be spent wisely to attain a hi-fi bookshelf stereo system. A good example is like:

- Wharfedale Diamond 225, $280

- Smsl Ao200, $223, (50wpc 8Ω, 90wpc 4Ω, 150wpc 2Ω; 2 German Infineon class
D chips)

- Schiit Modius DAC, $230 including shipping

With corrected room acoustic, this combo will render rich tembre (Schiit house sound), decent soundstage and nimble low ends. Around this price range, the increasing return can be substantial imho.

You are right...

But my Sansui alpha coupled to the AKG K340 best any speakers i listened to which are in a living room...

Some vintage are always top of the chain...

No system make me envious...

There is a minimal acoustic treshold about dynamic, transients, timbre, and holographic translation with a varying soundstage according to the recording at play; this minimal treshold WHEN PASSED OVER make any upgrade preposterous... One of the reason i think that dac technology is mature , is related to my basic Hidizs dac, which is for the price more than good; if it was defective in any acoustic factors i will hear it immediately with the Sansui Alpha+K340...Then most people with an already good dac must upgrade anything but their dac....😊

Most people upgrade because there is a problem with some acoustic factors in their system...

Someone who think this is not the case must think about this : when your system is finally optimized, the music experience is so rewarding that thinking about upgrade is preposterous..

By the way the K340 surpass all headphones i ever listen to by far.... All vintage headphones are not equal...And i am pretty sure that among all headphones the K340 is among the best even after 45 years... Acoustic experience do not change ...The technology which make it possible can change , but a natural timbre experience is always a natural timbre experience, and so on for all acoustic aspects...

Today $700 can be spent wisely to attain a hi-fi bookshelf stereo system. A good example is like:

- Wharfedale Diamond 225, $280

- Smsl Ao200, $223, (50wpc 8Ω, 90wpc 4Ω, 150wpc 2Ω; 2 German Infineon class
D chips)

- Schiit Modius DAC, $230 including shipping

With corrected room acoustic, this combo will render rich tembre (Schiit house sound), decent soundstage and nimble low ends. Around this price range, the increasing return can be substantial imho.

Please be advised that not everyone can give credence to the headphone listening system due to various reasons such as hearing health and disconfort of headphone wearing.  I understand the definite advantage of no box and room effect elimination from headphone use but just do not feel comfortable wearing headphone for a long time that I usually spend with music listening. 

The major reason is the impact to the hearing health from headphone wearing (even at the sound pressue level of 60-65 dBA I usually listen with).  My reasoning is that wearing headphone / earbuds causes pressure change in the inner / interior ear.  It sometimes produces whoosing sound / tinnitus due possibly to muscle contraction. This tinnitus can be intermittent but sometimes becomes a constant effect that will bother for a longer term.  I am not sure if that makes sense to you... 

You are completely right...

It is the only serious potential problem with headphone...

Alas! i cannot go back to a dedicated room...

I take great care of the DB level... But the temptation to forgot it is always there , especially with the AKG K340...( no distortion at high level )  and the speaker like effect ask for more "sound level"...

I will be very cautious... Thanks to remind us of this fact...

You are more than right...

Please be advised that not everyone can give credence to the headphone listening system due to various reasons such as hearing health and disconfort of headphone wearing. I understand the definite advantage of no box and room effect elimination from headphone use but just do not feel comfortable wearing headphone for a long time that I usually spend with music listening.

The major reason is the impact to the hearing health from headphone wearing (even at the sound pressue level of 60-65 dBA I usually listen with). My reasoning is that wearing headphone / earbuds causes pressure change in the inner / interior ear. It sometimes produces whoosing sound / tinnitus due possibly to muscle contraction. This tinnitus can be intermittent but sometimes becomes a constant effect that will bother for a longer term. I am not sure if that makes sense to you...