Is it possible to find a good DAC for under $50, 000?


Apparently, the good folks at The Absolute Sound have you covered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nItR8Z6CCWE

(Audiophiles are never going to shed their out of touch reputation with journalism like this. I'm sorry, but it's just so tone deaf.)

hilde45
Post removed 

Money is relative. $50,000 is a lot of money to me, but to some people it really is not. so if I try to analyze their buying decision (and why would I even do that?)based on my perspective on money, I start from a flawed premise and will reach a flawed result, Value is also relative. One could easily spend $50,000 on a Cartier Watch and some people do. I have a $75 30-year-old Seiko that I’m quite happy with because expensive watches don’t bring me any joy. But it doesn’t trigger an emotional response in me if someone shells out for the Cartier watch. We just have different concepts of value when it comes to watches.

I certainly think that you can buy a quality DAC For way less than $50,000 and probably  less than $5,000 but that doesn’t mean that this $50,000 DAC doesn’t represent value to some people. I’ll never buy it, but I don’t feel the need to denigrate those who do. I also absolutely believe in the law of diminishing returns and I think you pay dearly at the top end for relatively small increases in performance, but diminishing returns doesn’t mean no return. For a few people, it’s worth it, for most of us it’s not.  This money thing often seems to trigger an emotional response, and I find that hard to understand. 
there is also the fact that I have not heard this DAC so I couldn’t possibly pass any judgment on how it sounds. i’m happy there are people willing to buy at this level, however, because I think ultimately it helps us all and I’m also happy that we live in a time where you can buy a really nice system for a relatively small amount of money. Each to their own

 



 

I saw that review and similar comments on the video.  The good thing is the price is only 47K so with a 50K budget you have 3K to upgrade the cables. I’m thinking of upgrading my $1300 Holo Audio Cyan 2 DAC to the Top line May DAC used which is $3K more.  Not going to do it so I can pay the mortgage instead.  I have got to get my priorities in order.  

Post removed 

 Thanks for the link.

That was a very informative and interesting presentation on DACs, signal processing and the resulting signal quality.

Very much enjoyed it.

As an avid DIY’er of gear, I have to listen for subtle details the value, or quality of a given part in the signal path. These subtle differences really do add up to an improvement in the presentation of the music, and the enjoyment of the music. Suspension of disbelief. Hollywood irks hard to keep you unaware of the chair you are sitting in or the fact you are looking at an artificial world. Different, as you are likely watching a movie for the first time, and will not watch it again for some time. As opposed to music where we might listen to the same song several times through the course of a week.

 

I don’t understand why people love to hate on expensive gear. Or why they insist there is no difference , even though they have never heard the gear in question. Is that ignorance? I don’t know.