Make sure when you book appointment to audition have both dacs ( Flagship vs Direct stream) on hopefully they are same voltage out bring your goto music test tracks. Find a comfortable volume level on preamp. Tell salesman to queue up first dac and then second. Try a few times back and forth if you want not knowing which dac is playing. You may need a cloth to cover the front displays. Go with the one that you like best. But if you choose the $25k one get your credit card ready! 😆
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?