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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
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,071 posts
 
@jjss49  Thanks for experience with P.S. Audio. For $6k, new, I think my friend would rather get both streamer and DAC without needing addition hardware, software, or other complications. Pass on this product.

@jpwarren58 My friend is almost 50 and has a background as a music major who became a neuropsychologist. Why do "you" ask? Does age have a bearing on the sonic quality (perhaps because of hearing loss?)

@kennyc  Thanks for your answer.
jpwarren58
686 posts
 
Age plays a role for sure in this game. As someone mentioned analog requires a certain level of commitment and mechanical aptitude. IMHO that budget slants digital. 6000 will buy an above average digital system. It will only purchase an average TT setup. My apologies for the "friend". Internet cynicism.
hilde45's avatar
hilde45 OP
5,071 posts
 
@jpwarren58  No worries. He's too busy and I'm the one much more into this hobby, but he cares about sound. Just cannot invest the time in the details and he trusts me -- and I trust the best opinions on this forum. All good. And thanks for your judgment.
decathlon1991
220 posts
 
Get yourself a Cary Audio DMS600 or DMS700
DAC Streamer that does both TIDAL & Qobuz and you are done. End of story and enjoy the incredible sound 
jssmith
324 posts
 
@kennyc : I know lots of people who claim otherwise. These are people who understand that from a scientific standpoint, digital is indisputably technically superior to analog. From dynamic range, which has the capability of being 10 times higher than LPs, to rumble, to wow, to channel separation capability, to low frequency, to degradation, not to mention storage, cost and lack of convenience. Whether it sounds better is subjective and/or depends on the recording process. I grew up with vinyl and spent my first decade of audiophilia with it, but I’d never go back to all the snap, crackle, pop and hiss. I gave away hundreds of LPs 30 years ago and never looked back (until I found 50 more in a box in the basement recently that I’m going to sell).
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