Are DAC prices reflecting sound quality?

The name on the box has a lot to do with the price.People are comfortable buying certain names and tend to pay more for them.Market pricing is primarily determined by the interaction of supply and demand in most cases.When it comes to high-end audio,you can forget what you learned in economics class.You see folks buying vintage equipment for big money all the time.Now if a 20 year old amp, whos electronics are more than likely on their last leg,and a brand new amp cost the same,it's up to the buyer to determine if the quality is worth the cost.It's all in the eye/ear of the beholder.This is just my opinion,simple as it may be.

I agree with much of what Tpreaves sez.

Whether newer digital devises have 'improved', say since 2004, is probably less important than whether any subtle changes aka improvements will be sufficient to be heard on your system in your room and whether you are involved enuf in issues of resolution to have the interest an patience to sit and try to detect the differences. I'm sure that there are differences but whether there are significant improvements. For example, I like the sound of some non-upsampling DAC/CDP's and do not use up-sampling on those units which have the option (on most CD's, but not all).

Most folks, I think, are far more interested in tonal issues once a certain level of resolution has been obtained and for them I think the latest edition of some high end DAC will not be rewarding even though it is highly thought of and promoted.

Then there are some fairly ugly women who spend a lot of money on fancy jewelry! :-)

Lewinskih01...just fyi but Berkely Alpha DAC is $5K

And also the materials used helps drive the cost. Esoteric D70 DAC is heavy component with expensive skin and hardware.

In contrast, look at the newer DACs, overall they may be smaller in size and use less internal/external materials. Wavelength Crimson USB DAC and/or Simaudio 300 DAC are much smaller but with newer/different technology. The Peachtree audio DECCO which provides great value for PC users to improve sound quality from a sound card.