How much do you need to spend to get digital to rival analog?

Dear itsjustme, As regards the subject at hand, I like what Raul and Mike Lavigne and a few others have said; it depends.  But if "90%" of your LPs really do "sound like crap", you've got a problem that could be due to (1) buying used LPs that have been badly abused a priori, or (2) your equipment, which might include anything in the chain from the cartridge and its alignment forwards to your speakers and your listening biases.  For example, if you obsess over surface noise, ticks, and pops, and the like, I could imagine that you might object to LPs per se.  But most of us don't have excessive surface noise and rarely experience "ticks and pops", the favorite complaint of digiphiles.  So, I'd say, for me, maybe 5% of my LPs sound bad, in which case, out they go.

IMO, you need to spend 2-3x more on analog to get better sound than good digital. It will take more than $3000 to get a really good dac just like it will take much more than $10k to get good analog. Sure, you can get a $1k rega or music hall, and you get $1k worth of sound. I had $15k as my analog setup which I sold because I like my digital MQA/DSD/hires setup much better. What does a decent cartridge cost? $1k? $3k?
How about the tonearm cost: $1k? $5k? How about the turntable itself. Then you have the phono preamp. For a decent system, $10k or more isn’t out of the question. For digital, you don’t need a special server and you don’t really want 1 in your audio room.
Besides the cost, analog is much more limited in source material. Most of my new music in jazz, blues, or rock, doesn’t come on vinyl and more and more are using hires and/or MQA. 

I am going to throw out the proverbial Molotov cocktail in regards to actual frequency response in comparing digital to vinyl. It is never even mentioned in these threads. 

LPs...gasp! Are typically in the 20 Hz- 20Hz range and to expand that range it comes down to the cartridge but how many new LPs contain frequencies up to 50 Hz? I have a feeling only the most expensive pressing do.

Those stats are never listed on Music Direct's site but if you buy an SACD or High Res recording you get those stats....as we expect to know what they are as that is the basis for our motivation to get the best sound quality possible.

I currently do not spin vinyl but are heading back soon, maybe within a year as I want to upgrade my integrated amp first,  to take the plunge. I am going to NY Audio show on Friday and I look forward to hearing the difference and hopefully being blown away. I will bring a couple SACDs too.

I am a big advocate for  SACDs and if you have a good to great rig you should be impressed by their audio reproduction...even in high res stereo.

I have been very please with High Res digital as well. I purchased the  Yes Steve Wilson remixes and completely love them. I have the DVDA of Fragile and I listen to this newer release exclusively now. The details, bass reaponse, and nuances of these sophisticated recordings completely shine through.

In regards to SACD. The reissues of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here is stunning! I listen to the multi-track on my HT rig and it has renewed my love for this record big time. Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)will rock you house.

Gilmore just  completely unleashes.

 I can't wait until they do Animals.

That all being said I would love to see this discussion steered toward the possible greater technical aspects of LPs...I mean vinyl over SACDs and 96/24 high Rez.

Less hyperbole and more meat.

Merci

@mikelavigne 

From your linked article:

It was painfully obvious that sub-order harmonic distortion and noises were getting in. It was the result of high-frequency things creating distortion components that were not harmonically related to the lower frequencies.

This is why you're never going to be fully satisfied with your standard digital recordings. DSD at least does a better job of moving more of the offending distortion to higher frequencies, and covering up or filtering some of this distortion. When that distortion is removed, digital can be made to surpass all analog.