Is there an audible difference in quality between well-designed $300 DAC and $1000 DAC?

[JJB70]

It is worth remembering that sound quality is not the only criterion for selecting audio equipment. Certain features and functionality will add to the price. If you want premium build quality and materials then that tends to come with a price. Brand image (audio enthusiasts are just as prone to the allure of brand image as fashionistas in my experience) often comes with a high price. Good after sales support and long term spares availability and servicing will be built into the manufacturer margin if offered (these days very few do). There are lots of reasons people pay a lot more than they need to if it was only about sound quality. I must admit I do like the sort of build quality and tactile feel of the statement products made by the Japanese manufacturers in their prime and would pay for it, but I wouldn't be paying for sound quality. The DAC is a very mature technology and achieved audible transparency years ago. Anything can be badly implemented but a well implemented DAC can achieve audible transparency for peanuts and there is no reason to pay a lot for a DAC if sound quality is all that matters. I would argue that if you use headphones then the on-board DACs of most devices are fine.

 

[Willem]

What functionality do you need? Only usb or also other options like optical or coaxial? Do you need to switch between sources? Do you need a volume control? In my main system I have a highly versatile DAC/preamp, but my desktop has a simple usb DAC (the ODAC in my case) with just usb input and no volume control. That is perfectly fine if a computer is your only source.

 

[LTig]

[..]That's why I recently purchased an RME Adi-2 dac. [..]The black edition got a SINAD of 93, so I expect the SINAD on mine is a little lower but should still provide respectable numbers.

Are you sure you don't confuse ADI-2 DAC with ADI-2 PRO FS? The ADI-2 DAC is always black, the ADI-2 PRO FS is available in standard version and in a black edition. The only difference between the standard version and the black edition is the color, and the black edition cannot be rack mounted. SINAD of both versions is identical at 115/117 dB (XLR out).

If you got an older ADI-2 PRO (without FS) only the jitter may be worse. The SINAD specs are identical (for all of them, even for ADI2-DAC).

 

[shanecoughlan]

Thanks in advance for your help-- have learned so much from these forums and had fun doing it. I just bought a pair of Magnepan LRS speakers and am trying to get my system squared away to make them sound their best. My comfortable budget for a DAC is around $300 but if noticably better results can be had by spending more, would like to do it. Looking at Amir's measurement chart, it seems like buying from the "orange bucket" vs the red or green sections would be a real compromise. Can anyone give me a sense for where the sweet spot is in this tech? So much snake-oil and misinformation out there. Thanks again!

There is often a difference between products in this space. Whether the differences are better, worse or tangential is hard to predict. Price certainly won’t help. This is not entirely dissimilar to other product categories. For example, the current LG OLED televisions all use the same screen and all but the entry-level B9 use the same image processor. However, there is a wide price differential between the C9 and the W9. That’s down to the styling used.

If you need a DAC a great place to start is this forum. Check out the reviews. @amirm has a solid, scientific approach that is unfortunately all too rare in the audio space.