A warm DAC?

If you look at Amir’s graph listing all the DACs he has measured you will see that there are a lot of DACs that have similar measurements but many of them have very different prices, connectivity options and sound signatures. Success in picking one will depend on the rest of your system, your room, your music and how you (and only you) prefer your sound.

DACs aren't supposed to have sound signatures if they color or distort the sound then they have become tone controls. A DAC should convert the digital to analog reproducing exactly what was sent to it. If you want to color the sound use EQ or tubes or basic tone controls. Take 2 DACs one $10,000 and one $150, if the SINAD of both are 115 and inserted into the same system I'm not going to be able to tell one from the other. 

Then why do companies research, develop, market and successfully sell DACs that cost $2000, $5000, $10,000 or $80,000? Why do financially successful people buy them? Why do people who have spent time, effort, listening tests and lots of money on their speaker systems and amplification then spend more time and money auditioning different DACs with the specific goal of achieving a specific sound without unwanted issues? Why not just spend $150 and be happy?

I just spent months on all this myself. I visited five dealerships in a four hour radius, spent countless hours reading about the pros and cons of gear, and then auditioned a wide number of speakers, amps, pre amps, DACs, all in one streamers, etc. I took my time and LISTENED. Now pretty happy with my system. I might look at other DACs someday, but for now just going to rest a bit.

As the saying goes: your mileage may vary...

Why not just spend $150 and be happy?

I don’t know, why not?

Toyota will get you the grocery at 45 mph as easy as a Lexus, why buy a Lexus? Status, bling, cause I can afford it. You still drive 45mph to the grocery. If I can’t hear a difference between a $80,000 DAC and a $2000 DAC without knowing which is which then I guess I would only buy the $80,000 dac for status, bling, because I can afford it.

Surprised there's no mention of the MHDT Orchid.  Specifically, @grannyring's modified version.  He's great to deal with, and he prefers warm sounding gear but not at the expense of detail and resolution.  I'm sure he selects and designs his upgrades accordingly.  A lot forum members on here and elsewhere have commented that it has bested a lot of DACs mentioned in this thread.

Fair point. But your determination (or mine) does not become the de-facto metric for everyone. 

I think in this audio arena the most useless term is “always”. I find that almost all absolutist statements can be countered with “it depends”. 
Folks in this hobby mix and match all manners of tube, solid state, Class A, Class D, etc, equipment in an infinite array of combinations and price points. Some are very casual and some approach this pursuit very intently. 
Some believe 100% in the “bits are bits” approach and never waiver from thinking that streamers, DACs, cables, different interconnects, power supplies, reckockers, isolation feet, racks, etc, etc, matter. Others think it all matters. 
In the end what counts is this: do you enjoy the music from your system? Are you ok with the money you have spent to get there?