I used to think DACs made little difference until I tried the Chord DAVE. Whether it's overpriced... well, that comes down to your own financial situation as ultimately value is subjective and cost is relative.
Are DAC's overpriced?
External DAC's are pretty expensive imho... BUT I don't know that much on how to choose one. I want mostly cd's in my small two channel system... I am rebuilding after selling my Logans and Mac amp to go back to "drivers"! The Logans wore me out with Maintenance. Should I buy a new cd player or get a new DAC for my old player?