I’ve been an audiophile since about 1972, with a Dual 1215S/Shure M91E/Sansui 2000x/Advents and went up the chain to Audio Research, C-J, Dahlquists, etc. Vinyl all the way, until the last 15 months or so. Aurender N100H+ Schiit Yggdrasil GS for about $4300 new blows away my vinyl, sorry. And, I am easily able to discover new music and remasters of the music I know. I am working my way through the marvelous Betty Boards recordings of the Grateful Dead on high res Tidal, no way I could do that with vinyl. Starting with the Bluesound Node is not a bad idea, especially as the controlling software is so bulletproof
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.
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.