Is it possible to find a good DAC for under $50, 000?

@celtic66 "...I own four different DACs at distinct price points and yes each improves performance measurably with the price point increase.  $300/2K/6K/12K."...

+1

I have also owned DACS from $200 - $2K - $20K. I agree. particularly when you double the price point you get a significant increase in performance. Small incremental changes in investment can just provide different but not better. I can tell appreciate a better sounding DAC... even if it its design goals are not the target sound type I want. Poor choices in your purchase and you can get a DAC with the wrong kind of sound... for instance if you like musical renditions of sound and you buy a detail scraping DAC then from your point of view, it may not sound better. 

My components are all at the $20K level. If my financial position changed and I was able to upgrade to the $40K level I would do so, and appreciate the improved sound quality. I have not gotten to the point where I can’t tell the difference between levels, what I own is financially constrained. 

I just watched a video on a guy around here that has a million dollar system. He spent over twenty years on the room and the equipment. I see him as a comrade, someone I can relate to... someone who loves music. I would very much enjoy listening to his system and trading stories about the journey we took to get where we are. I would not criticize him for being more financially successful than I have been, more dedicated to the pursuit, or somehow being a bad person because I am jealous of him. 

The technical issues with digital brought up in video are well known, I've read any number of white papers written by well regarded dac designers stating these same issues.

The amount of diminishing returns with any audio component dependent on the quality of the entirety of one's system. I don't doubt reviewer is hearing exactly what he claims, he has access to far more equipment at all price levels than any of us, and he can evaluate all these components at his leisure in an optimized system and room. The issues he's speaking to are not going to be of great consequence in lesser systems, money probably better spent elsewhere. Based on my own experience with ever better streamers/dacs  I don't doubt greater strides towards a more analog/lifelike  presentation are continually being made.

The good news is, one day in the near future, these technologies will be worth $500. I cannot blame the engineers for wanting to capitalize on their research and development. Too bad a lot of us won’t be around to enjoy them. I am glad that digital is moving forward. 

It’s very possible to find the best DAC under 50K; In fact it can be had for less than 30k; Playback Designs MPD-8; Designed by one of the best and brightest digital engineers we have been fortunate enough to have in our era. Make no mistake, products by Andreas and his team, are truly masterpieces in the digital/analog conversion realm. Happy hunting and enjoy the music!

how do people interpret:

"50K is a lot of money" as "you are just jealous that you can't buy a 50K DAC"?