OK guys, lets stir the pot here a bit...
I think to criticize the RESALE and/or rather currently heavily advertised discounts on a NEW or DEALER DEMO PS Audio DirectStream DAC is a VERY valid point and this really deserves to be talked about and brought to light.
The RESALE is a HUGE problem with the PS Audio DirectStream DAC and especially for the guys that committed to the Brand and were one of the earlier purchasers that paid the retail or close to iy on these. Ouch
I am glad someone else brought this up and stated it because my goal when I started this post was not to criticize either brand or product. Rather it was too honestly and candidly share and speak about my personal experiences and opinions about them and to ask for feedback and sharing from my fellow Audiogon members. This so we can all compare and talk about the Bricasti M1 DAC and the PS Audio DirectStream DAC and all that is associated with their brands and the specific products and the dynamics associated with them. The resale conversation is super relevant.
People considering either of these DACs may read this post and IMO resale is an important aspect in the decision making process and I think with regard to the PS Audio DirectStream DAC it is a huge detriment to a potential buyer in some ways.
I am not speaking out of school here or taking unfair shots at PS Audio because I love their DAC and personally I have found their products to be outstanding. I have owned many of their products and have invested thousands upon thousands of hard earned dollars in their products. I always found them to be very well built and they performed at a very high level and I found theyre customer service to always be outstanding. They are a great American HI-Fi company and I am a fan of their products and their company but they are not above reproach as are any of us and in this regard they have some well deserved criticism coming their way.
As a buyer of a PS Audio DirectStream DAC and a former owner of one I was quite disappointed with PS Audios wanting to make every last red cent possible with their General Motors volume approach of making way more than the current demand and flooding the market and then having/allowing/encouraging dealers to get into these huge discounts to move them. This is a shame as the product is so good and it would have sold briskly in an organic manor without really hurting their current owners by driving down the prices and in effect the resale with this what I see as a selfish approach to squeezing ever last dollar. This is the High-End and it is supposed to different from the big box, mass retailers and they have every right to make money and they should make money and as much as they can I have no problem with that but like anything in life there is a line and in my opinion they went way over it and the proof is in the numbers. These things are everywhere more than any other thing in all of High End Audio. Everywhere
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Part of the reason I think this criticism hasn't been louder is because they have done a great job at adding value and with the mad scientist Ted providing these excellent updates and making the products better and better. I thinks is a riot that they call the upgrades Free
lol. They have done an outstanding job improving the DAC and they deserve credit for this.
OK lets talk turkey about resale. The PS Audio is so much better than what other DACs in its "NEW" price range go for out there so it should hold up ok for a while unless there ends up being just to many out there no matter how good it is the prices will just drop. Simple supply dominant 101 stuff and this may or may not happen but it is something that should be thought about based on how they have been going so far its not an unfair thing or stretch to talk about.
These were $5,999 DACs and they are easily good enough to be $5,999 DACs but now with a saturated market in say the last 3-6 months give or take after the release of this strong companies best product ever they are already being offered for around $3,800.00 new/demo from actual PS Audio Dealers. That is not a good thing. One of the reasons I jumped ship while they are still hot. This is a lot of money and I love growing my system but I try to be smart with my HI-FI funds also. You have to so some digging but they are out there for this low range and you can find them regularly in the lower $4,000's.
Really I am not taking needless shots at PS Audio I am calling them like I see them but when I started trying to trade my DAC and talking to dealers of other brands it kind of opened my eyes. I was kind of a blind believer in Paul and Ted combo and was kind of naïve to how other folks out there were looking at it.
Now the sword cuts both ways and this could be a GREAT thing for you. It is an amazing DAC and in that high $3k range to the low to $4k range nothing can touch it. It is that good. Trust me if you have that money to spend you will be blown away. Compare it to others and you will be super happy other than to say it is a pain in the neck to break in and takes much longer than other DACs but it is worth the wait! This DAC at these prices should hold their value ok relative to this new lower price but man there are a lot of them out there and at what point is it too many. I didn't want to wait around to find out but man it is a great sounding piece that they are committed to improving along the way so it is up to you to decide. I made my choice!