First - just to clarify, regarding the NT-505: I have no complaints, in most respects. No problems connecting to the network, playing DSD and other hi-res from my server, streaming, the Lumin app (getting to know it), etc. What I said concerns the sound quality only, and at that point, I am still not sure. What is clear, is that is good enough to play my vinyl recordings back in a good way (I didn't say "optimal" way). Time - burn-in - will tell.
Second - is it worth it? Recording from vinyl is a lot of work, but actually, more like a routine than hard work, once you get into it. I don't sit around while recording, rather I use a timer, roughly adjusted for the duration of the LP side, usually around 15 minutes. I bring this to my home office and do some "real" work while it counts down. Not ideal, but OK. Sometimes, I think, "is this LP really worth it", or even (monitoring the recording, in headphones) "this doesn't sound so good". But then I remember all the times I have enjoyed playing back my recordings, and I keep recording, some more LPs while I am at it. I think of holidays when I've brought a little DAP (Fiio x3) along, and we have enjoyed the analog sound. So my rule is, just do it, you won't regret it. Although streaming and digital is coming along and so forth. As dacs improve, the benefits of high format recordings will probably become even clearer. Even from this "stone age technology", analog record playback, warts and all. If you have time and taste for it, investigate a program like Vinyl Studio, which makes it easier to spilt your recordings into tracks. I find that it works well, but often, I prefer to leave my LP side A, side B original recordnings are they are, since I like to listen "into" albums. Old-fashioned, maybe.
I have one problem, or challenge, that you should be aware of. DSD recordings often have lower volume than other types of audio files, including PCM. This is the case with the recordings I make with the Tascam DA-3000, unless I turn up the volume quite "hot". There is debate regarding the best recording volume, and "hot" (loud) is not advocated. This fits what I hear. However, with some equipment, the recording may just be too low in volume. That happens in our car stereo (Ford Focus) - even with full volume (from the Fiio x3), the sound is too low. Even if it is good enough for the home system, and for the Fiio X3 into our cottage system, or active speakers, etc. The most serious problem is shifting from these low-volume recordings, to other sources / files. Which is easy to do, for example, with the Teac HR (or Lumin) app, that automatically creates a playlist from what you play. Be *careful* and turn the volume down, before doing this - on you might ruin your speakers! There may be a way to "normalize" the volume level across dsd / pcm / streaming, but I have not seen an easy solution so far. Korg Audiogate seems to be able to turn up the DSD file volume without harming the file, I have not tested much, except to notice that the process takes a long time, for each file.
