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Equal $$ for Phono OR Streaming?

Consider the following situation. A friend who's watched me put together my system has decided to follow suit. He's inherited some very good speakers and amplification (no DAC) from a relative and has about wants to finish out the main elements of the system with the best possible source. He has about $4-6k to spend and wishes to spend it on either a phono stage/TT combo OR a DAC/streamer combo. (For content, he is willing to spend either on vinyl or streaming services to fulfill whichever path he chooses above.)

Focusing simply on the potential for sonic quality (rather than, say, the variety of music one can stream), where do you think his money would best be spent and why? Could he reach the same outcomes after spending on a TT, cartridge, phono stage, record cleaner, isolation table and all the other accoutrements necessary for a good phono set up as he could if he bought a good DAC, streamer, etc.?

If your tastes weigh so heavily toward analog or digital that you can simply decide this without considering the details of the comparison, please try to set those aside and answer based on what he might be able to get for $4-6k.

128x128hilde45
facten
2,882 posts
 
I don’t stream, I play CDs via a Mojo Audio EVO DAC and SimAudio 260D CD Transport in my main system, and a Modwright Elyse DAC and Cambridge Audio CXC Transport in my second system ; also use an IPOD Classic with WAV files via a Wadia 171i Transport in both . The narrative that you can’t sit back and be engaged in the music if it is digital sourced is just an opinion that some have, nothing more. Do I like vinyl , yes I have a phono preamp and ClearAudio rig which sit idle; the problem for me is the lack of available vinyl for the music genre and artists that I listen to mostly. That said, I’m not missing the enjoyment of the music , my digital gear doesn’t come up short.Your friend’s musical enjoyment will not be compromised if he chooses a digital format and good equipment; it isn’t simply there for background music
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,001 posts
 
Lots more good replies. Thank you. Many here want to help him with the decision, overall, but because he's indicated a willingness to go in either direction (knowing full well what that implies) the core question -- about the sonic quality achievable with *either* $4-6k for streaming/dac vs. phono -- really is *the* question. And yes, other "requirements" are helpful to know, but it does not seem like the core question is unanswerable without the bigger picture, and many here seem to agree.
mapman's avatar
mapman
22,343 posts
 
Sonic quality is a totally subjective thing. That budget buys you a lot of it whichever way you slice it. Many good choices.
Practically, If he does not know what to do but likes your sound then he should shoot to emulate that.


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feldmen4
116 posts
 
@hilde45 - Great summary of the conversation. Very interesting take on how those of us of a certain age learned to listen differently because of the circumstances. Never heard it described in those terms but couldn’t agree more based on my experiences and what I see with my boys. 
I will put in a quick plug for my Mytek Manhattan II DAC w/ network card. List is a little over $6k - I got mine last April for ~$5.5K but not sure if such a deal is still available. Orders of magnitude better than the Node 2 I was using. 
Matt
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,001 posts
 
@feldmen4  Glad you liked the description. Not only do I see this in my kids, I see it competing within me. Warring impulses -- slow vs. quick. I have a Node 2i. Because I'm on the verge on spending on room treatment stuff, I'm a bit shy about upgrading but I've taken note of your experience!

@mapman  Sonic quality is somewhat subjective but not totally, right? I mean, if you did a poll asking people if they liked articulate bass vs. boomy/fuzzy bass, or blurry, narrow sound stage vs. clear and wide sound stage, etc. we'd see huge majorities voting for the same thing. We share biological and cultural habits (growing up together, interacting, social) so subjectivity is always there but it's typically much less dramatic than supposed.
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