2. digital
  3. 168348-152017

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 yyzsantabarbara

yyzsantabarbara
4,553 posts
 
I am happier when I spend less for top end performance. I replaced a preamp and DAC recently that cost 5x and 2x more respectively, without a backward step in performance.

Audio gear pricing is such a joke. Got to set the price high so that people perceive value.

This new PS Audio DAC will have a particular sonic signature. Is that sound signature something that floats your boat? If not then the price is irrelevant. If you agree with the sonics then maybe something to consider if you think $25K makes sense for a DAC. For me, even if I love the sound of this new $25K DAC, this price is not sensible. For speakers, I could do that but never for a DAC.
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