I appreciate “high value” products: components that “punch above their weight.”
That’s where I believe the fun is in this hobby/obsession.
$4K-$5K is about the max I would pay for a DAC. Could I hear the difference between it and a $50K DAC? Probably. But I just cannot justify it to myself.
To use an analogy, I can taste the difference among a $12 bottle of wine, a $25 bottle, and a $100 bottle. But I don’t enjoy the $100 bottle enough to be worth the cost. (I’d much rather find a nice $15-$20 bottle, and enjoy it for its taste and its good value.)
And BTW, I’ve had “two buck chuck.” It ain’t very good.