I think you are on the right track. If you have no CD's, building a system around hi resolution downloads makes sense as your primary source. Part of what you should consider is your taste in music. If your interest is primarily classical, be aware that there are an enormous number of classical SACD's available, and SACD is possible only by playback of the discs. Even with that consideration, with outstanding equipment, SACD sometimes offers only marginal improvment over red book CD. The high res stuff I would expect to be closer still.
I have ~ 1600 CD's, hundreds of SACD's and a an outstanding CD player, and I still plan on putting together a computer based system within the next few years. If you want to focus on digital sources, you have to think that a computer (or server) paired with a DAC is the future. Might just as well go that way from the start!
I have ~ 1600 CD's, hundreds of SACD's and a an outstanding CD player, and I still plan on putting together a computer based system within the next few years. If you want to focus on digital sources, you have to think that a computer (or server) paired with a DAC is the future. Might just as well go that way from the start!