No. There are DAC sonic advances at all price points, no evidence that cheaper can catch up with the more expensive offerings. Higher quality parts within expensive components usually costs significantly more and is reflected in higher prices. Also, cutting edge designs have significant R&D costs that have to be passed on to the customers.
When Will the DAC Singularity Be Reached?
A humorous title, but wondering if those more in the know have an opinion on either: i) examples today where inexpensive DACs (say under $2500) are comparable or superior to expensive (say over $10K) DACs or ii) can we anticipate that within a relatively few number of years that inexpensive DACs will basically achieve the sound quality of today's expensive DACs? Thanks.