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?
rufusluna

Showing 1 response by rikkipuu

I purchased a PS Audio Powerplant P10 when it was their top of the line regenerator.  I remember it being around $ 5K.   It sucked the life out of my amplifiers, there are also several settings that dramatically change the sonic signature- I can't really find one that sounds neutral, and now it has been supplanted by several models that cost a lot more.  Obviously I'm not a fan of their regenerators.

I also purchased a PS Audio Noise Harvester for $ 100.  Amazing gadget.  I now have 10-12 in and around my system.  The more I add the better the effect.  I would buy more if I had more outlets.  And yes I have 5 in the P10 and they do help with background noise in the P10 which I use for my digital gear.

The moral is you don't always have to spend top dollar to get a companies best product.