Choices have to be made at every price point of DAC design. The majority of budget DACs have to leave off fancy screens or pair down the casework in order to clear the hurdles necessary to turn a profit for the companies who have invested in the manufacturing.
ATC has really dug out their niche within the pro community. When asked on a recent hi-fi panel I attended at Capital Studios in Los Angeles, two out of the four self-proclaimed audiophile recording engineers confessed to ATC endpoints in their home stereos.
Paul McGowan has been shepherding the good folks at PS Audio for quite a few years now. A long-time audio designer, he takes his role of industry icon pretty seriously. A constant presence on YouTube (and other online sources), his question and answer format to all things audiophile provides an access point to his deep well of knowledge for both laymen and hardcore enthusiast alike.
There are horror stories of every type that occasionally trickle out in casual conversation at audio shows. A funky room can be difficult to manage for sonics on the fly, whereas a crushed speaker in transit can be deadly.
Although I was nearly perpetually engaged in interviews for upcoming AudioStream podcasts for most of the first day, I did manage to poke my head into a few interesting rooms along the 16th and 15th floors of AXPONA’s Renaissance Schaumburg Hotel and Convention Centre.
I still remember the first time I saw it… appearing suddenly like a massive concrete spectre through the rain, sleet and fog of suburban Chicago through the Ubër car window: The Renaissance Schaumberg Hotel & Convention Centre.