Are DAC's overpriced?

The people who create dacs and digital sources for manufacturers would often have made different decisions. You all forget that people who design dacs are often paid by manufacturers. They make the decisions at the end. These are often not the best in sound quality. They are only focused on making as much money as possible.

In 2012 I started to listen to many dacs and network layers. I was surprised that they all had the same limitation. They all had almost no diversity (layering) in sound. When I had contact with a designer he told me that USB is not a choice of designers. But made by those who make decisions at a high level. He said that USB should have never be chosen for audio. 

The facts prove that most dacs are only able to create a very low level in layering in sound. Even the most expensive dacs show the same limitation regarding diversity in sound. That is why so many still use cd-players and turntables.

Based on the fact that many dacs do not convince people in the sound they are looking for. When you would understand how human emotion works regarding music, it becomes very easy to understand why so many dacs lacks emotion.

No cable of clock link will solve this problem. When people who create audio products would better focus on how music sounds and which aspects it owns, the level in realism in sound could become a lot better. But money is the real reason why consumers are limited in the quality they get at the end.

@bo1972

Just utter baloney. USB has no faults besides not having 100% noise rejection and only working well to a few meters (where AES does a better job). In terms of just data transmission, it is 100% fine on its own. The benefit of 75ohm with BNC is also not a concern.

There are countless of DACs that are transparent when using USB. You can only say they are not if you have unconscious bias, which a double-blind listening test will get rid for you.

The simple fact is what modern DAC you have >$200 is really a non-issue.

You may know the $10,000 amp challenge, I may start a $4000 DAC challenge to anyone who can tell the difference between the Chord DAVE / DSC Rossini vs the $400 March Audio DAC1 (slightly modified $100 Khadas Tone Board DAC in a case). 
 
Your speakers and room are 90% of the issue, 6% your amp, 2% preamp, 1% DAC, 1% song format.

The people who develope dacs and digital sources don't agree with you. For me counts the same. It is very easy for us to outperform dac/streamer combo's with our modified Lumin network players and modified power supplies.

We outperform them in a superior level in diversity in sound. In dynamics and also in resolution. Audio is all about the shootout between products.

We create sound by its properties. This makes it very easy to show people what a dac misses. No one will ever be interested in a product what lacks information or is inferior in emotion. We outperform most of all in emotion.

Emotion is the only key to success in audio. 

https://www.stereophile.com/content/benchmark-dac3-hgc-da-preamplifier-headphone-amplifier-measureme...

https://www.stereophile.com/content/chord-electronics-qutest-da-processor-measurements

Show me where they lack dynamics or resolution. You obviously have never properly tested yourself to see if you can actually hear what you are claiming. Just like how 24/96 provides no consumer benefits over 16/44.1, yet people claim otherwise.

Audio is all about the shootout of products. They loose layering in sound. Most of all in the middle frequencies. In each shootout we outperform dacs. Based on the fact that we can prove that with modified Lumin players and our modified power supplies together it is so much more analog sounding.

Audio is all about what you can hear and perceive. Diversity in sound is the most important aspect/property of sound. Due to the fact that it has the biggest influence on our emotion. That is why we use this property to the max.

We are a company who have done thousands of tests in audio in over 20 years of time. We spend these days still a lot of time on research and testing. We are extreme perfectionists. In our world, there is one golden rule. Only the best product in each single price range is the only one who counts.

This makes it so much more easy to compete. By doing modifications we create new levels and standards who have no competition at all. For me, audio is outperforming and being superior to all other companies.

We have tested many dacs and digital sources in the last 6 years. Most prove to own a very limited level in layering in sound. You need all the different harmonics in sound to be connected to the music. Unfortunately, many digital dacs and sources are not that good in this part.

We are not talking about personal preferences, WE ARE TALKING ABOUT 100% FACTS. It is very easy to teach people how big the differences are in layering in sound. Each human being will always choose the most intense and emotional sound.

A friend on my does Esoteric in different countries. But he owns a Lumin soon with our modifications. Because in a shootout it overruled the Esoteric on all 8 aspects/properties of sound. Emotion is the key to success in audio.

I started to read about the human emotion regarding sound and music since 2015 a lot. Many modifications we use and create are founded on the parts which influence the human emotion during listening to music.