Why are DAC's so much more expensive than transports?

@carlsbad2 : I disagree that DAC's are evolving. DAC's have been transparent to the source for decades. They are solved engineering! The expensive prices are money grabs by the greedy. A DAC is essentially the equivalent parts-wise of a computer soundcard. Manufacturing efficiency has driven down prices for soundcards. The same can be said for all the millions of DAC's currently in use in CD/DVD players and streamers. Manufacturers that claim they have some secret circuit design that distinguishes their "audiophile" DAC's from the majority are preying upon the gullibility of the unwary. 

verdantaudio

... if a unit is fully balanced it effectively doubles the circuitry as well and this adds a lot of cost ...

That's a common misnomer. Many truly balanced circuits employ circuits such as differential amplifiers, of which operational amps are an example.

The only evolution in DACs that I see (and really interested in) are FPGA implementations. A different tube, chip, casework, etc are not that groundbreaking with DACs. 

DAC's are the component that determines the sound character. So, the amount of effort components to carefully craft the sound vs just spin a disk and stream the bits is simpler.

 

I'm beginning to realize that hi-end audio is not just about achieving some technical absolute. It's also about finding the right sound that each person enjoys.