Is there any such thing as a bad sounding DAC these days?

@markwd 

Interesting chart. Thank you.

Charts like that are invaluable to help understand what we hear in music better and use tools like DSP to adjust the sound to personal preference.

Agree starting with a high quality neutral sounding DAC then tweak to one’s heart content from there is a very practical way to go.

The original premise here was that all DAC's these days are "good".  Yes tech has come a long way to get much more bang for the buck on the low end of DAC's.  However, I still feel there are differences up the food chain.  For instance, I personally prefer a R2R type DAC than ones all using the SABRE chip.  Also, like "warmer" than more analytical.   I also wonder if all DAC's are benefiting by being fed with better streamer devices etc.  Back in the day, I fed my DAC off a lousy noisy laptop.  

I don't know .......I have a 12 year mytek dac I run my TV and streamer through. I disconnected the streamer as Youtube sounded just as good to me (use it like a radio). I have an Ayre CD SACD and DVD player (20 years old) sounds pretty good. In my other system I have a Wadia 921/922 with an Esoteric transport. (I've never heard digital better than this) admittedly I will play vinyl most of the time. That t said without the full commitment to the vinyl playback hobby, I think digital is a terrific alternative. I don't own any modern DACS. I'm generally satisfied with what I have. I haven't heard any streaming setups that got my attention yet. That needs be be addressed if anything can compete with what I currently have. 

Recently compared a Topping D50III ($250) to a HoloAudio May L2 ($5K). SLIGHT differences, where depending on music played I SLIGHTLY preferred one over the other. DACs linked in Roon, volume matched, both connected to preamp, so could switch source on preamp with click of the remote. Differences in musical recordings and personal tastes are more decisive than objective quality.

And yes, I selected the D50III based on excellent measurements and listening reviews on ASR. The May was chosen based on review by Goldenear who infamously debunked MQA.