Just wondering...

Hi kalali,

If the question is, "Is an ultra-expensive DAC a good investment considering the rapid advancements in digital technology?" The answer, even among those wealthy enough to afford them, would be a firm "NO" if they continually chase the latest digital technology. Just take a look at the selling prices of past high $$ DACs/digital players. However, many of those owners have no thoughts of "upgrading" their older TOTL players/DACs either, so the VALUE is relative to the period of ownership satisfaction.

If it is your priority to be an early-adopter of digital technology advancements, then it certainly is wise to look to products like Oppo that are relatively inexpensive and hold their value well upon resale. Heck, many owners of the Oppo 103/105 units are already chomping at the bit (pun intended) to "upgrade" to the new 203/205. Why? Because the new model has X times more theoretical processor speed than the last model, even though the budget power supply in the 103/105 limits their sonic performance, not the audio D-to-A section? The just-released 203 model proves the point superbly. Designed to outperform Panasonic, not Esoteric.

However, if you look at some of the best SACD-capable digital players/DACs of the past five years, they still deliver SOTA sound in any real-life audio system. Again, the best models had superior power supply/filtering/regulation that differentiates them sonically from the latest less-expensive models with higher bit rate D-to-A chipsets but lesser power supply quality. Obviously, what makes the newer products superior for those using music servers/laptops/etc as a source is their connectivity flexibility and that is not to be disputed.

Best to you kalali,
Dave

kalali,
For the last 4-5 years I pursued my system upgrades and find that the best sound comes from components and accessories which work well together.  Having said that, I think that having better quality earlier in the process is a good thing, so spending more on a DAC might be better than spending more on the "down line" components.
I had my eyes opened to what a better DAC could do, when I dipped my toe into the "higher end", buying my first SACD player, whose internal DAC made my regular CDs sound better, capturing much more detail than I ever knew was on those CDs.
About two years ago I bought a stand alone DAC (PS Audio DirectStream DAC), and that unit still puts a smile on my face.
As for the price, to say a $32k DAC is "worth the price", only you can make that judgement.
One thing I've found, shopping on Audiogon, is that there are people out there who seem to like to try new things, do so for a few months, then offer them on the site, where you can snag some good values.  I've bought a few things that way, and haven't been disappointed.

IMO - Think, comparable. Your amp(s) and speakers are the foundation of your system. I would get those to the level that you want, and that level should be to the point where you can easily hear differences to whatever else is plugged in. Otherwise, you're playing the game of smoke and mirrors, and wishful thinking. If you're content with your McIntosh amp and speakers, or you think that you're content, then you should hear obvious (big) differences between a $1K Dac and a $32K Dac. If not, then either the $32K Dac is BS, so try something else, or you need to invest in a new amp and/or speakers.
Kenny

" High End home audio is extremely dishonest business and it's blown like a soap bubble."

Only if you don't know what you're doing. If you let someone sell you a 32k dac, you're an idiot. At that level, you need the skills to make the decision yourself, or you have no business buying it to begin with.

Most people that think high end audio is an extremely dishonest business, come to this conclusion because they made bad choices. The term snake oil seems to be a popular label for expensive audio products. But what most people forget about snake oil, is that its relative. Here's an example. A friend of mine who loves music but doesn't know much about the equipment, wanted to upgrade his system and asked me for advice. After looking at his system, I thought a new CD player would be the best place to start, so I lent him one of mine. It was far more expensive than what his current player costs, and he never heard of the brand. He seemed a bit nervous, but I told him to relax. The whole point of me lending him a player was so he doesn't make an expensive mistake.

I said to use the player for a week or so, and report back when he formed an opinion. To make a long story short: Snake oil. He couldn't tell the difference between his player and mine. I was a bit surprised when he told me this so I went over to listen to his system. I had no problem hearing the differences between the 2. 

So, was my expensive CD player that sells for 7x more than my friends really snake oil? I don't think so, but my friend did. The cheap CD player was a Sony 5 disc changer($100), and the expensive one was my Rotel RCD-1072 ($700). In the audiophile world, the Rotel is considered to be one of the best budget CD players of all time. TAS gave it product of the year. Not budget product of the year, but actual product of the year which competes with everything, regardless of price. Its all relative.