DAC’s

@jjss49 I find your post interesting and to the point. I too would not have gone in the many directions I have in the digital realm had it not been for lockdowns.

Started playing and just found that  one could spend a modest amount on a good DAC, Streamer and Cables in be in a really good digital space.

Fry cry from a I Pad and a AQ DAC , but hey that is good enough for some.

My wife cringes when the UPS or FedEX guy/person pulls up, is it tools, toys or audio? She really freaks when it's the DHL guy!

Bottom line it's all about music. 

it wasn’t lockdown for me but i can relate to forcing functions… when i retired 6 years ago i set out to explore analog vs. digital in some depth.. i invested in recording chain tools and support a local studio / engineer / recording artist on an investment / patronage basis. importantly i built my own mobile recording rack with both an excellent A2D and high speed tape. I drew my own conclusions from microphone selection, placement, configuration, cables, preamps, mixer(s), I didn’t buy a record lathe…. perhaps we can agree that except for a D2D, that format sourced from a tape..is lossy ?
Fun experiment….learning… still ongoing…..bottom line: each has virtues and limitations. What i find sad is a closed mind and ears that finds happiness in a single format….

now back to getting those Royer ribbons just so….

and to stay on the OP original?…. of course an MA3 is fantastic 

When I play an LP and stream the same thing via Spotify, it largely sounds the same between LP, dongle, and RME.

I don't have experience with LP, so no comments. But try Tidal and Qobuz. The difference between them and Spotify is obvious. Mostly the upper frequencies and the tightness in lower frequency will be noticeable. If you are not able to detect it, that's ok. Just enjoy the music.

Even a difference between the dongle and streamer should come through. At least in my system it did. I moved from Auris BluMe, to Chromecast Audio to a Windows laptop to a Windows dedicated server. And each change upped the quality of listening experience.