Is berkeley dac as good as absolute sound review?

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.

Pubal57, I understand your point - that the reviewer wouldn’t by a component that he didn’t find musically satisfying. But I think the counterpoint is valid too - that a component purchased at a noncompetitive price might not be quite the endorsement it appears. To illustrate: There are a number of good cars in the $50k bracket. Although I might have a strong preference for one model in particular, if I had the opportunity to buy a competitive model with the same sticker price for $25k, it would be a no brainer for me; even though it’s not my first choice, everything being equal.

Phaelon, I agree with you in a real world sitution.

But within a review context, the reviewer is just making a POINT how good the unit is. So good that I'm purchasing the reviewed unit ... purchasing price is NOT important within this context.

Yup, there is something corrosive to the process when there is a deal between manufacturer and reviewer - hard to knock your "friends", but I think Knghifi captures the spirit of my comment, if I was a reviewer with access to most any piece of equipment, the fact I choose to buy something and make it my own says something, maybe not what it says if I paid full price, but still....

Anyway, I guess the Berkeley DAC is pretty darn good:)