Would you still pay $10k or more for a turntable not full analog front end these days ?

This is like that old joke about bacon and eggs- the chicken is involved, the pig is committed.

I’m "committed" to the LP format since 1970 or so. Which means I have a fair amount of records. Yes, more work, and if I were starting out today, I’d seriously question going down the rabbit hole. Aside from the gear, you’d have to look at the cost of the source material. Older pressings are great, but grading and price inflation make it expensive. One of the reasons I’ve shied away from tape- it isn’t the cost of the machine, it’s sourcing the tapes. Some new LPs are terrific and don’t cost a fortune-- e.g., the Tone Poets label. There are others.

I experimented with streaming without going all out- I was surprised at how good it sounded using Qobuz, but the catalog was more mainstream, not so deep on more obscure jazz.

Digital for me.

As time goes by, it will equal and best vinyl as technology proceeds.

BTW,  how many rolls of film have you processed recently?

B

I would not purchase my $45K analog end (or lessor) today. I am now down to using it once every couple of weeks. I will bring it out if I have visitor to show there is no meaningful or consistent better sound quality with it than my streamer.

@soix 

At the moment I’m running a 30 yo Thorens with Goldring 2300 cart and Herron phono.  My Aurender n200 through an Audio Mirror 4se does not make music as well but is more accurate at reproducing sounds than my vinyl is.
Ghprentice has spent much money climbing the ladder to a $23k streamer and says it matches his mystery analog system, set up by who, we don’t know.  Has he spent as much time and money exploring the best analog has to give, we don’t know.  He may be right, he may not, we don’t know.  We do know he was not saying his digital equalled vinyl with a $10k streamer.

It appears that more and more audiophiles switch almost fully to digital, and I don't think that's progress, regardless of how good digital may sound. There are older analog recordings and new ones can be made too, so turntable should never become obsolete, along with tape deck. Personally, I'll spend real money, real for me, only on analog. Besides, I believe that digital can in fact be more expensive to make it sound good and you have to constantly upgrade it.