"What if there are two dozen cars that go fast, handle great, and stop good? You gonna waste your time test driving all of them? "
Nope-- I read pro and user reviews to get an idea of various DACs' sonic profiles then based on that, I listen to as many as I can (within my budget, of course).I listened to 6 DACs in my system before making a choice.
Music is very important to me so, no-- it's most certainly NOT a "waste if time"-- quite the opposite!!!
If you regard listening to gear as a waste of time, I cannot fathom why you are even attracted to this hobby.