Oilmanjojo has this in good perspective, imo. The question I would pose to you is: Do you hear the difference and is it meaningful to you? Then, does making that step from the $10k rig to the $25k rig still allow you to have a superb phono stage? Amp? Speakers? Cables? Or would you have build a BETTER sounding system overall by stepping back a bit on the investment in just this one part of your system?
Over the years that I've invested in this hobby, I've always found the investment to be a stair step process. I HEAR more of what's going on in the rest of my system as I upgrade in an area and then assess what will make the next biggest improvement. But I have always planned on DOUBLING the investment in each step up that staircase. Small incremental steps just keep shunting money down a tube that never stops draining cash but without providing material improvements in sound.
All this said, as Oilmanjojo suggests, "with 10-25K, you should be able to put together a reference vinyl system that will please for a long time. But there will always be something better."
But if you're making that next big investment, and if you are seriously committed to vinyl, then the best place to make that investment is in the turntable/arm/cartridge front end. What doesn't get extracted from the vinyl to begin with is never heard in the rest of your system.
I'll close with one final observation: The magic is in the details. Scrupulous attention to setup, to fine tuning, makes all the difference between superb playback and indifferent sound. You can often get far better sound than you ever expected if you really understand what is needed to finely tune the setup of a vinyl front end and take the time to do it.
Over the years that I've invested in this hobby, I've always found the investment to be a stair step process. I HEAR more of what's going on in the rest of my system as I upgrade in an area and then assess what will make the next biggest improvement. But I have always planned on DOUBLING the investment in each step up that staircase. Small incremental steps just keep shunting money down a tube that never stops draining cash but without providing material improvements in sound.
All this said, as Oilmanjojo suggests, "with 10-25K, you should be able to put together a reference vinyl system that will please for a long time. But there will always be something better."
But if you're making that next big investment, and if you are seriously committed to vinyl, then the best place to make that investment is in the turntable/arm/cartridge front end. What doesn't get extracted from the vinyl to begin with is never heard in the rest of your system.
I'll close with one final observation: The magic is in the details. Scrupulous attention to setup, to fine tuning, makes all the difference between superb playback and indifferent sound. You can often get far better sound than you ever expected if you really understand what is needed to finely tune the setup of a vinyl front end and take the time to do it.