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

For those who can afford a $50K and higher DAC, more power to them. I hope they enjoy them immensely.  But if I could afford a $50K DAC, I’d have to ask myself if I’d be happier just staying all analog via LP and eliminating any digital mess at all? I mean, if you can afford a $50K DAC, you likely could afford buying a few LPs. At $30 a pop, for the same amount of money you could buy 1666 LPs and listen in all their analog glory, not worrying about zeros and ones at all. If each LP lasted about 40 minutes, then you'd have over 1100 HOURs of music to enjoy. 

@knittersspouse  - Glad to see that you have been at it for a while. At the end of the day, it’s all about enjoying the music. I am very bullish about digital. I think that’s the future: we will match the best table sound at a fraction of the cost. I also believe that Stereo is here to stay: 2 channels done correctly as intended by the inventor of the stereo format is enough to take you to heaven. Not long ago a 5 MD hard drive was around $30, 000 and could hold 5 photos. It also required a truck to move it. 
I am not lying. DAC will be a solved problem soon, just like class D amplification and preamplifier or automatic transmission. I might not be around to see it but I know it’s coming. I can almost see the promise land. Once we can get AI to design it for us, based on our requirements, it’s going to be cheap. We will be looking at $50,000 DACs the same way I look at my grandparents’  « giant 36 in » TV today. Enjoy the music. 

+1 ghdprentice.

Based on the comments about members not being able to hear the difference between a $1500 or a $50,000 DAC I would suggest you get a new hobby.