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

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.

@jasonbourne71 - I don’t have your experience in audio and hi-fi equipment. I only really started purchasing and listening to nicer equipment the last 4 years or so. But in just that short time, I’ve experienced different dacs and their unique attributes. You seem to suggest they are largely all the same, which has not been my experience.