I get what you mean, but would add price does not always relate to performance.
This hobby is quite insane but addictive I admit. I wonder if pricing gear manufacturers could market them much cheaper and still make a living especially in small companies that sell direct (no dealer 50% mark-up) but instead 'align' pricing to others who already are insanely expensive. The CH Precision is a good example IMO. We can look back to the Goldmund days of 100K+ power amplifiers now selling for 18K a few years later (one on Agon now). And the CH Precision C1 at 22K, that then need the X1 and D1 making it again insane money. The Kassandre first model was 18K, then the current DAC suddenly became 35K, 55K for the signature and 82K for the top unit.
It would be great if someone could grab this market by the b...s and make a top DAC for a realistic price. Can a DAC costing 82K really be justified, you can buy a house for that much. The tech is out there, parts are cheap relatively, CNC cases easy to get made on low volumes. I wish I had the knowledge to design one, as I would definitely have a go. Hmm, the Soekris board is 300 USD, grab an Audio Note Kit DAC, build a new chassis, some trick parts, nice DHT line stage, Lundai output transformers.... well it is a nice idea.
Hi astrostar59,
I guess it depends what you're happy to pay for - an idea, or a result. If it's the idea, then the world's your proverbial oyster, and you can congratulate yourself on having "saved" tens of thousands of dollars. If it's the result, well, then... you generally end up paying whatever that performance costs, even if diminishing returns kicked in long ago.
Best,
853guy