The DAC Scam - Almost everyone believes the hype

another bull video

his whole argument is based on the chip cost  and thats it

a dacs sound quality is based on:

decoding chip types and quantity some dacs use multiple processing chips with summed outputs 

input board and input chips

clock board and chips 

any custom processing and software

analog amplification board this can cost hundreds of dollars 

power supply and case 

so a high end dac can cost way more then this genius surmises

Dave and Troy

Audio intellect NJ

If you believe that video, I've got a bridge for sale that you might like.  It's in mint condition - just needs a minor paint job.

that video certainly contains nothing new or original...

I think you'll be perfectly happy with a $99 Chinese DAC.  Go for it.

@audiotroy is unequivocally correct-- there's a lot of stuff besides the (comparatively cheap) chip that affects the dac's sound quality. i have a no-name, $60 chinese dac which uses the exact same chip as some high $$$ wadia and other high end players. the cheapo actually sounds pretty good, but it's not in the same league as the pricey stuff. the real question, as with most things audio, is how much you need to pay to get a discernible improvement-- i personally think that some of smsl's $500 offerings are tough to beat without spending a lot more.