$30K DAC in a $70K system - wise or ridiculous?

In my opinion a very sensible idea -- I subscribe to the "source first" system building philosophy and have a third of the cost of my system in sources, and only 10% for the speakers -- if your speakers work for you in your room then upgrading the source will only make them sound better

I don't think it's way out of line. It sounds less ridiculous when you say that it's a $30K DAC in a $95-100K system, which is what the full system would be once it's in correct?


When I go for upgrades, I generally try to identify the weakest link, and then upgrade it to the point where it's one of the strongest links. That allows it to stay through other upgrades (assuming I have more coming). From that perspective, it seems like this makes sense as well. It's more money then I have to put into a system, but I think it holds up in principle. 

I first put my money into my speakers and build from there. Second are my amps and then my source. $30k for a DAC IMO is a little overkill but like all audio it is a personal decision. Now if I could get a $30k DAC for under $10K used that's a different story. Good luck.