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

Just for fun....

Facts as I know things:

1) people value things differently; sometimes, they think they are valuing something based on a what they would consider a good reason, and sometimes they fool themselves. This often leads to them chasing their own tail, wasting money (which they may not be intending to do), and avoiding improving other aspects of their system that would lead to sonic improvements that they desire.

2) people spend on things they value and can afford but sometimes they waste their money on things they think they value but are wrong about it. If I buy a beautiful car because I value how it looks, but it breaks down once a week, I have made a mistake.

3) people satisfy base level needs (food) before higher level stuff (stereo) – probably good to check with people who have gotten divorced over audio.

This is Vlad from Audio MIrror. Many cheaper DACs can sound better than more expensive ones. I have two models that outperform many other DACs with much higher prices. Tubadour VI is one of them - $7500 and big brother - WAVE Tube DAC - $22000. Both will be officially launched in 1-2 weeks. WAVE Tube DAC debuted at Axpona 25. I did some comparisons with other DACs. Tubadour VI outperforms Lampizator Pacific big time. WAVE Tube DAC sound equal to TAIKO Olympus with build in DAC.

…. is a point at which sensible effects cannot be discerned. At that point, it becomes either an exercise in confirmation bias and/or faith.

I disagree, typically those who purchase costly gear usually have a matching costly audio chain with noticeably lower noise floors to tell the difference.  “sensible” is not a word to describe our costly hobby, when wants don’t line up with our budgets can drive us crazy.  

@mahler123 

I knew TAS (the magazine And the staff) decently well at one time, and I am hard pressed to remember them suggesting to anyone that their dac was "obsolete,"  just because of a new technology on the horizon. 

And not all of us who have/had state-of-the-art systems are part of the 1%. I’d bet most of us AREN’T. It's just that the joy of music is paramount to us, instead of a skiing trip to Gstaad. 

Although, come to think of it, it would appear my ears (old as they are) are in some alternate '1%' because, to me,  it is not all that common that even some very good components recreate acoustic instruments (orchestral has the most variety) tonally  correctly.  I listen to digital, but to my ears,  there are tonal  differences from how they sound in the symphony halls I go to. Vinyl sounds more like a symphony hall.

But then, most people aren’t listening to classical. And TAS, at heart, is a magazine based on music acquired in the vinyl age (1940-1995), and based almost exclusively on classical music. That’s what is (mostly)  used for reviewing purposes, although other genres have appeared in the magazine.

I have an MSB Link Dac 2 that I paid $150 for and I’m very happy with it!