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

There will always be the oenophiles and advocates of MD20/20. Although, I’m pretty sure you will not have the folks drinking MD20/20 in the gutter posting on the Wine Spectator’s forum about how all red wine tastes the same.

What a thread. 

It’s gotten a lot of discussion going, including your comment. Must be something interesting going on here.

You see, it’s not just about bashing. It’s about whether there is a point at which sensible effects cannot be discerned. At that point, it becomes either an exercise in confirmation bias and/or faith.

People are interested in the qualities that these components are able to produce and – here’s a defense of those "bashing" the DAC – their skepticism is not coming from a place of abject ignorance but from a desire for some evidence that something could be discerned at these higher price points. Perhaps you’re someone who can hear the differences. That’s cool. I’d love to know what you were able to hear and the affiliated equipment, conditions, etc. Otherwise, you're just bashing the bashers. We live in a consumerist culture; there's a lot of false claims and hyperbole out there. I think some of us are a bit less credulous than others.

Let's face it, a manufacturer can price their equipment at any price they want. It comes down to whether their claims amount to something a buyer can hear.

When I restarted my audio journey 10 years ago, I was trying to get the most performance from the least amount of money. After lots of listening/relistening, I ended up realizing that sometimes you have to pay the money in order to get the sound you are wanting/expecting.

I started with a Bluesound Node, but realized that things could get better sound by going with separates. Lots of DAC's later, I got a lead on the Brinkmann Nyquist II. It just blew away all the other DAC's I had (albeit, they were in the $2K range). I never thought I would spend so much on a DAC, but I did, and I have no regrets.

Whether the DAC listed in the original post outperforms my Brinkmann, I have no idea, but at that price, it has to make the performers come to life, literally.

Bob

A lot of high tech/high end DACs are listed here for your consideration.   But, in addition to these technologically-advanced models, you should hear something like the ultra primitive Audio Note DACs.  These things use some very old chips and have spectacularly poor measured performance.  And yet, to my ears anyway, they deliver the goods in terms of a natural, harmonically dense and musical sound.  The top models are crazy expensive, but their lower priced models, while not cheap, deliver most of the goods of the top models (all of their DACs have similar digital circuitry, it is in the analogue stage that the high priced models utilize much better parts),  

The Audio Note stuff delivers a different sound.  You may prefer it or you may not, but, it is worth exploring because it is quite different.

@gdnrbob 

When I restarted my audio journey 10 years ago…,

I also started from scratch about 10ys ago

I was trying to get the most performance from the least amount of money.

Same here, trying to squeeze Sonics at the least cost

After lots of listening/relistening, I ended up realizing that sometimes you have to pay the money in order to get the sound you are wanting/expecting.

Yes - I had to double my budget and I’m still upgrading towards my endgame electronics.

Brinkmann Nyquist II - great choice- non-sterile and engaging