First, to answer your question - I always try to buy what I believe I will eventually end up with (usually it's the model costing a bit more than the model I'm currently looking at), but the TOTL doesn't always equate to the best quality, so, no. Now, to address PS Audio in general - their equipment doesn't hold its value well, so expect to lose a ton of money when you are looking to unload it. Additionally, going all out on a DAC is an unwise move because the technology for them changes much faster than other pieces in the chain. PS Audio is not the best at future-proofing their equipment and they're padding their prices due to their trade-in policy. If anyone here has enough disposable income that they can consider a $25k DAC and dump their current perfectly good equipment for a big loss, more power to you, it's your money.
PS audio new 25K dac and the psychological effect of owning a company's best.
I was purchasing some hi-res files from NativeDSD today and found mention of PS Audio’s Obsidian Ted Smith Signature Dac ($25K) in their compatibility excel table scheduled to be released in 2021. I am the owner of their Direct stream DAC and DSD memory player and I immediately thought that I would never spend 25K on a DAC. I also thought that now I can have their best so why to stay with the brand. This might be my personal bias but I was wondering if this has an effect on anyone else. Is owning the top-of-line of any brand important to you and would you leave a brand if you were priced out of the market?