$10k DAC in a 3k system?

Hello shadome,
Yes, in this specific situation I wouldn’t match a 10 K DAC with the 3K system if that were my ceiling for a spending budget. In this case I’d spread the money around in an attempt to achieve more of a system balance.

On the other hand if there are plans to upgrade the current associated components and I believe the 10K DAC is absolutely world class and transformative then it’d be the focal point or foundation to build around. It would all depend on the final objective.

I agreed with Larry’s comments in that strategic mixing/matching of well chosen audio products can cross price barriers more effectively than some might appreciate. His example was a good one IMO. You could use a 5K amplifier successfully with 20 to 30K speakers.  Or 20K amplifier driving 5 to 10K speakers with equal success,  it really depends on the particular products in question. 
Charles

Dragon_vibe,
Yes, my comments were precisely based on listening experiences of many different audio systems over the years. I must respectfully disagree with shadome’s post. I don’t believe that you can accurately apply a rigid cost ratio amongst audio components when constructing a system, far too many variables and exceptions to account for.

Speakers are often said to be the "most" important link in the audio chain and thus require the greatest expenditure. Yes they’re important but so is "every" component link in the audio chain. The weakest link will by default be the bottleneck.

You can develop an excellent sounding system with the speakers being less expensive than the source, preamplifier or power amplifier. The truth is that there are multiple methods to allocate money toward assembly of an audio system that results in terrific sound quality.

My contention is you have to actually listen to components/speakers rather than make determinations based on solely preconceived price points and ratios. I do believe that generally speaking  quality increases with cost, however High End audio has numerous exceptions to this rule. Successful synergy isn't exclusively tied to spending ever more money. 
Charles

Hi Larry,
That listening experience you described is a good example of favorable sound quality/cost ratio.  Some modestly priced audio components are well engineered/implemented and are capable of preserving the audio signal from a high quality source. 

I've also heard audio systems that were a mixture expensive and modest priced components that produced very impressive sound quality.  Performance and cost isn't always a linear relationship. 
Charles