Is berkeley dac as good as absolute sound review?

Whether the reviewer paid one-tenth, one-fifth, one-half or full list price for the gear makes a big difference to the reviewer’s pocketbook. If you don’t believe me, ask him. And you are right, hard to separate the pocketbook from the endorsement.

He would not spend a $100 if he did not like it, of course he might give a better review to a fella offering a steep discount, other than Atkinson's measurements and "between the lines" I take all reviews with a grain of salt. But as far as the DAC, there a lot of evidence that it is very good indeed.

Could be a nice Dac to the reviewer ears, but you need to try it before buying. :)

Of course it matters what they paid for a unit, which is often 50% of retail, a bit less than a dealer. There are items I don't like at $10k, but at $5k they are a steal! So, the "I bought the unit" only means they know a deal when they see it, not that it is the best. They really cannot go wrong financially by buying a piece at half price, particularly one they are raving about.

Would you buy 20 DACs at 50% off? Or one, maybe two you like? (unless you were planning on going into the wholesale business) The discount is distorting, but to bother buying any particular piece still says something -- the reviewer liked it and though it worth having. Now the "rave", yes, that is certainly more problematic, especially when [if?} it is a means to an end.