Good choice. Your post got bumped, so I just read through it.
1) new DACs are coming out all the time time because there is always someone buying their first new DAC. If you don’t have a DAC and you are buying one, you will want to consider which one measures the best *since it doesn’t cost extra to get a high performance one*
2) New DACs are also supported by consumption culture, social signaling/extended self, and
lipstick effect.
Consumption culture is something all of us are guilty of. End game often reflects a state of gear, when it
should represent a state of mind.
Social signaling in this case isn’t to say that you are wealthy, but that you have bragging rights on the best measuring gear. Even if you don’t care what others think, the concept of
Extended Self means that our possessions contribute and reflect our identities. We want to own the best because that is a reflection of our passion for having the best.
Lipstick effect is that when the economy is bad, lipstick sales increase because people are substituting expensive products for less expensive products as a way to treat oneself. If you want a nice new shiny thing, it’s a lot easier to buy a new DAC than a new listening room (biggest contribution to sound) or a new set of speakers.
3) Improved ergonomics, connectivity, features.
You struck gold with the WiiM Ultra. The PC does a great job with audio, but ergonomics aren’t great for music listening in my opinion. Connectivity includes streaming services but having convenient XLR out or HDMI ARC. Features are things like integrating PEQ into a DAC, etc.