Yep. As most folks have pointed out. Low cost DACs will sound like low end DACs and high end DACs will continue to sound way better. It is the nature of advancement.
I have had a fair amount of experience recently with a couple of budget DACs (Schiit Gungnir and Yggdrasil), versus some $5K and several $10K, and a couple of $20K DACs. No comparison. Will likely remain that way for at least a couple decades.
When I bought my first lower tier preamp in 1980 it did not sound anywhere as good as an upper tier preamp. Still true today… but fortunately I can afford a much better preamp today.
I would imagine a Schiit Yggdrasil ($2.5K) sounds better than a 1990 $10K DAC… they all get better. But the lead on high end equipment tends to be ten or twenty years over much lower level stuff. Life is short (at least in my experience) and not worth scrimping.