Are DAC's overpriced?


External DAC's are pretty expensive imho... BUT I don't know that much on how to choose one. I want mostly cd's in my small two channel system... I am rebuilding after selling my Logans and Mac amp to go back to "drivers"! The Logans wore me out with Maintenance.  Should I buy a new cd player or get a new DAC for my old player?  
128x128captbeaver
It just depends on what you are looking for. There are certainly DAC's at every price point.
We always ask people to bring in their own music and also digital sources and dacs. Shoutout will always tell the truth of a result. We work by Tru-Fi, so we create and build sound on all the aspects/properties of sound. 

All people react the same way due to the fact that our emotion works the same way. We have our own preferences in artists and types of music. But voices and instruments sound as they sound. An audio system needs to be able to reveal all the details and aspects of the music/recording.

You need all the aspects of sound of each recording to experience the emotion the music possesses. But when a dac does not own it or is limited in the level in layering in sound. You will never use it for a long time. People have often no idea why their systems lack emotion.


We are a Lumin dealer. We will never sell Lumin players without a dac inside. Based on the fact that we can create a superior end result with Lumin players with an inbuild dac. What we do is modifying the network players with an inbuild dac.

When all the tests would have shown that the dacs would be better, we would have sold these. People will always prefer what is superior in sound and emotion. This is what I love most in audio.

For me audio is like a competition. I love to outperform and win from all competitors. 2nd best and less will always be for the born losers in this world. We want our clients to get the best result for the money they spend. It would be even silly to sell inferior levels in quality.
People will always prefer what is superior in sound and emotion

Only in a double-blind, level-matched, quick-switching scenario.  
  
I can bet you I can put a $300 power amp in a nice case and say it costs $100,000 (such idiotic prices do exist) and tell people what they should hear as an improvement, and some people will say it sounds better than any $30,000 power amp you wish to put it against.

The question of the thread is a very good one. You can even ask this question regarding most audio products. When a market is decreasing manufacturers do everything still to make a profit. When you take a look at the facts they proof that manufacturers are using cheaper parts these days.

To answer your question I hear and audition that most dacs are overpriced. But this counts for many different audio products. We see it in all price ranges. It has become more common than in the past.

They blame the youth is not that interested in audio anymore. I think and believe that the limited quality is the main reason why people are less interested in audio.

I think that you cannot blame the youth not to be interested in audio products who lack emotion. When we visit clients of us first we see that their children are not interested in what we install. But.......when they hear both in stereo and surround a stunning 3D stage with all the layers in sound they become very excited as well.

People love emotion and music. For children counts the same. But when audio lacks emotion and intensity children don’t care about it anymore. By using cheaper parts the youth will become even less interested in audio. I think and believe that this is a normal and even predictable reaction.

There is only one solution; a superior level in emotion and realism in sound in each price range. All other options than this are 100% useless.