DAC diminishing returns

Amazing how Denafrips has no return policy....  that is a deal breaker for me.  

I bought my current DAC after listening in store and in home.    The analog stage of a DAC is more important with respect to sound quality in my opinion.  Unlikely I will ever use DSD codecs so I bought a non OS DAC with tube analog stage.   

I listened to several below, at and above my budget.  No two sound alike in a very resolving system.   Some are subtle differences some are more pronounced.   In the end pick the one that sou ds best to you .    

I agree with ghdprenice ,  it's all relative to your system and future goals.   That holds true no matter the component.     I am a regular guy, there is no way I could assemble a great system overnight .  That said every upgrade should be more than subtle , or maybe that's not the component that should be replaced.   

Best example for me is my Zesto preamp.  That WAS the right component to buy at the time because the difference was so pronounced and appreciable by anyone who heard it .   Could I afford it new? No. But I got a great deal on a demo so it was worth every penny.  It will be my last pre for a while because in my system my preamp was the bottleneck.   Now any upgrades moving forward are fully realized.

Today chipsets are very , very good.  It's the way it's implemented and really at the end of the day how it sounds in your system.  A good dealer is invaluable and will let you take a demo unit home to evaluate.    That is my preferred way of upgrading.   A lot less trial and error.   

My recent acquisition is pretty nice, but I bought it with the knowledge that in 10 months or so I will be taking a DAC or two home that is $7 k or so to try head to head.   If the difference is pronounced I am going to take advantage of their trade up policy.   

I’m keeping prior DAC also so I will compare all 3 !

I got spoiled with a remote DAC, especially with the features it had.  Remote volume, source, EQ, digital filter, balance , and on and on 
 

The DAC that replaced it has no features other than power and input .   Preamp has remote volume so it’s really not a big deal.  Sound is really good.    If I have to decide between sound quality and features it SQ every time…. I believe it when they say many hours of listening went into this DAC.   It sounds like it.  Very natural sounding.    Fatigue free, engaging.

I’m going to enjoy my new DAC , it is messing with my mind how good a Non OS DAC can sound.  I fully intend to demo something like a Bricasti or something in that league before my one year trade up.  If the difference is that dramatic I will go all in….
 

I have always preached how important the preamp is and there is a lot of truth to that , but with a really good preamp the difference in source components can be heard and it’s not always subtle 

DAC was 3x and it was a solid purchase.  It is noticeably better , not just subtle differences.   Will something at the $6k to $7k price blow me away?  Who knows, but it will be interesting to find out