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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
jperry
2,454 posts
 
Thanks for posting this thread. Very interesting and the discussion has thankfully remained civil, which is very refreshing. I have a few thoughts which I wanted to share.

I have digital front end components (not including cables) right in the price range where your friend is shopping. My system is posted, and I am using an Innuos music server with a Line Magnetic DAC. The sound quality is very good, although not nearly as good as my analog front end, which is much more expensive. I have heard a digital front end competitive with my analog front end, but it was more than twice as expensive as my analog front end. I have not recently heard an analog setup in the price range where your friend is shopping.

If I were a first time buyer, and my price range was the same as your friends, I might go digital. The reasons for that decision are: 1) Easy access to a lot of music via streaming 2) Ease of setup if he uses something similar what I have with only two boxes and Roon 3) No storage needed for physical media 4) Overall investment will be less due to media purchases.
testpilot
967 posts
 
A high quality streamer is a transactional decision, a high quality vinyl playback system is a commitment.  

If your friend is willing to make the commitment to vinyl, then his efforts will be rewarded, otherwise, a streamer is an excellent option.  
lalitk's avatar
lalitk
5,613 posts
 
Great post @jjss49. 
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,051 posts
 
@jperry  Thanks for your comments and I'm glad for the vibe in this thread. Your suggestion for my friend resonates for me, and I'm glad he'll have your comment along with the others to help him with his inquiry.
jperry
2,454 posts
 
@hilde45 

Thanks for your comment. Take a look at my system and it will give you additional context for my comments. As you will see I am primarily analog focused in my system, with the digital streaming a new addition. I tried digital streaming a couple of times before with no real success in terms of sound quality or user friendly solutions.

The current solution is very user friendly, glitch free, and easy to operate. The sound quality is pretty good as well.

Best Regards,

Jim Perry
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