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

@mikhailark "The issue is in pure digital,"... music will ALWAYS be translated into analog...your ears cant consume flac file

@dogberry not sure how good an analogy a printer is, but using a computer, we are not aware imho, that we ONLY work in the digital domain, but music is ALWAYS analog... and the theory/hypoothesis is that some dirt might accumulate in the digital domain, which do not affect the 0 and 1s but the DAC in some ways

I think to simply put a 10k number on “just a table” is kind of silly. The better question is, would you spend 10k on an analog setup, full table etc, maybe even include the phono stage? 

To answer the above, yes I would. My analog setup is my go to. However, it is impossible to argue the virtues of streaming. Convenient, a wealth of available music, set it and go etc. To argue if a 1k streamer is the same as a 25k streamer is irrelevant. To each their own. If the thing sounds good to the individual, then it does. Doesn’t matter how much the cost. 

@total111 - the question is indeed purely digital. It is about streamer as a computer. Streamer makes network requests to the cloud and routes packets over USB. Analog conversion is a different subject. There is no analog in the streamer.

So the question was - what is exactly different in $10K streamer as compared to $1K.

So the question was - what is exactly different in $10K streamer as compared to $1K.

@mikhailark You’ve now been told by several experienced people here that things like parts quality, noise reduction, power cables, implementation, etc. matter in streamers.  @ghdprentice who’s been in the IT industry for decades described many engineering types he’s worked with as having convinced themselves there’s no way in theory these things should make a difference and just hang their hat on that belief, and you seem to be in that camp.  But he also gave you the best advice and that is, rather than just arguing why these things can’t or shouldn’t make a difference just listen — find a way to demo a better streamer and just listen in your own system and you’ll have your answer rather than continually raising this same point over and over based solely on theory.  

I am happy with my streamer/dac box. With the right set up, It sounds great. Digital changed the music business. Record labels, musicians, etc  are not getting paid what the used to. So, why not keep the old medium alive. No one mentions how distracting are the hisses, noises, and pops of vinyl. Yes, it sounds warmer, but at what cost? Frequency limitations? Old habits are hard to break.

Anytime, I tell any of my friends or any random person that I got back into vinyl a little bit ago goes on about the pops/hiss/noise of records. Yeah, that's what I also remember as a kid. However, now I know that the noise is from static, dirt, and bad stylus. After you clean a record, and use a good stylus, there is no pops, or hiss. Depending on the recording, no other noise.  Now on lesser recordings, the lack of fidelity bothers me.  After my cleaning process, they sound fabulous!  Usually better than streaming, or CD.