Is berkeley dac as good as absolute sound review?

Could be a nice Dac to the reviewer ears, but you need to try it before buying. :)

Of course it matters what they paid for a unit, which is often 50% of retail, a bit less than a dealer. There are items I don't like at $10k, but at $5k they are a steal! So, the "I bought the unit" only means they know a deal when they see it, not that it is the best. They really cannot go wrong financially by buying a piece at half price, particularly one they are raving about.

Would you buy 20 DACs at 50% off? Or one, maybe two you like? (unless you were planning on going into the wholesale business) The discount is distorting, but to bother buying any particular piece still says something -- the reviewer liked it and though it worth having. Now the "rave", yes, that is certainly more problematic, especially when [if?} it is a means to an end.

Pubal57, I understand your point - that the reviewer wouldn’t by a component that he didn’t find musically satisfying. But I think the counterpoint is valid too - that a component purchased at a noncompetitive price might not be quite the endorsement it appears. To illustrate: There are a number of good cars in the $50k bracket. Although I might have a strong preference for one model in particular, if I had the opportunity to buy a competitive model with the same sticker price for $25k, it would be a no brainer for me; even though it’s not my first choice, everything being equal.

Phaelon, I agree with you in a real world sitution.

But within a review context, the reviewer is just making a POINT how good the unit is. So good that I'm purchasing the reviewed unit ... purchasing price is NOT important within this context.