On Jul 3, 10:09*pm, guyo wrote:

And a truly audiophile turntable with a moving coil cartridge can
trump any of the above in most respects, but that's another
subject...

Maybe so but the price is prohibitive except for the elite
billionaire.

For far, far less dinero a very decent SA-CD player, a modest 5.1
channel surround sound amplifier, and 5 mid-priced full range speakers
and subwoofer will equal the best mucho dinero mega-bucks elite vinyl
sound system TO THE VAST MAJORITY of listeners.

A very good Universal SACD/CD/DVD player can be had for for $200-$600
A very good 5.1 / 7.1 channel home theatre amplifier can be had for
$1000-$2000
A very good set of 5 indentical full-range speakers can be had for
about $2500 used (recommended on a budget) or at least double for new
speakers.
A very good subwoofer for about $1000.

TOTAL for an very good "audiophile system for the rest of us" - less
than $10,000.
And if you are prudent you can do it for half that price. (Used
audiophile speakers are a bargain.) Well within reach of most
"working" music lovers.

If you are foolish enough to spent money on a vinyl LP system and
expect to surpass the above $5K-$10K system than you had better take
on a second or third job.
Marry into a wealthy family. Pray and play the lottery or rob a bank -
LOL!