The only reason I had considered DACs in a separate group from the rest of the audio components was based on my assumption that the rate of improvement due to changes in technology is much faster in DACs. That said, I guess the point I should have considered is more relevant to willingness to pay rather than whether a more expensive piece is better than a lesser expensive one. Perhaps the right question to ask is will a very (very) expensive DAC today be equivalent to a moderately priced DAC five years from now.
Just wondering...
Sorry about the poor choice for the title but I just couldn’t compress my question into only a few words. I’ve been watching A’gon to find a good deal for a decent DAC in the $1K price range to improve my CD listening experience. As I look through the listings, I see DACs priced in tens of thousands - saw a Boulder 2020 with retail price of $32K listed for $15K. Probably an awesome bargain for somebody. To some degree I can understand speakers selling for crazy prices partly justified by their sound as well as their "furniture" value. I’m also sure a $20K pair of speakers will still sound incredible ten years from now. I can even sort of get amplifiers being a little crazy in price but they seem to last forever, at least technology-wise. I’m still loving my 35 year old McIntosh amp but can’t imagine using the same DAC even three or five years from now. What am I missing? Can a $32K DAC sound that different from a $1K DAC?