Wadax Reference Dac and Reference Server--arrived in my room.

@lalitk

Would you please consider expanding on your comments…I am genuinely interested in learning what brand of TT, cart and phono at $40K would transcends a $100K in digital setup. Looking forward to your recommendations!

each of my 3 turntables, including arm and cartridges, are in the $75k++ range (not including my phono stage at all....just tt, arm and cart.....and my phono cables are very spendy). so i’m not living in the fully done under $40k price bracket. but i know the below gear for the most part and have either heard it myself, or know enough to recommend it and respect it for being capable of allowing a good vinyl pressing to show what it can do to surpass a $100k digital rig.

and i’m just throwing examples out there; there are dozens of other examples to consider in these ranges. but these products are legit.

and choosing complimentary pieces, then proper set-up is a significant portion of analog magic. it’s not plug and play. i did restrict myself to brand new gear at full list price. going used, or discounts, can lower the cost or raise the ROI.

---turntables; one at around $11k, two at around $20k, one including an arm.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/technics-sl-1000r-and-sp10r-direct-drive-turntables

heard great things about this turntable.

https://primarycontrol.nl/Kinea_turntable.html

---tone arms; one around $6k, one around $8k

https://www.artisanfidelity.com/tonearms/kuzma-4point-9-inch

https://parttimeaudiophile.com/2020/09/27/glanz-mh-124s-premium-tonearm-review/

----cartridges; one around $5k, one around 6k.

https://www.stereophile.com/content/analog-corner-317-ortofon-verismo-phono-cartridge-orb-df-01ia-disc-flattener-rsx-beyond

https://www.stereophile.com/content/analog-corner-317-ortofon-verismo-phono-cartridge-orb-df-01ia-disc-flattener-rsx-beyond

---phono preamps; one at $2500, one at $12k

https://www.stereophile.com/content/ps-audio-stellar-phono-phono-preamplifier

https://www.stereophile.com/content/emt-128-phono-preamplifier

@wsrrsw 

 

G R E A T. 

Good on you. 

I wished you lived down the road so I could my wife over (checky to ask) and show her what I’d like to do with a built audio building. 

thank you for the kind words.

you would be very welcome to visit if you are ever in my neighborhood. i love to have like minded visitors. i live a few miles east of Seattle.

@mikelavigne

Thank you for taking the time to post your recommendations. Those are all good options and I will try to explore them in my upcoming vinyl project later this year. For now, I am really enjoying my modest streaming setup recommended by you last year :-) 

Like a lot of other Audiogon members, I appreciate you taking the time and making the effort to post here.  It's quite useful to be privy to the perspectives and impressions of a consumer who has extensive direct experience with ultra high end audio products.  In terms of prices, all of the audiophile prices will seem insanely high to almost anyone not involved in our hobby.  So in my opinion it's just a matter of degree from there on. 

Sometimes I think people forget that these are optional purchases and luxury ones at that; whether any given high price is justified is a matter of conjecture, but it makes little sense (in my opinion) for audiophiles to complain about them.  It makes even less sense (in my opinion) to lash out at someone who's been kind enough to post his experiences therewith on a website designed to do just that. 

Very happy for you and enjoy. You worked hard for this.