Is the DAC the digital equivalent of a cartridge.

I guess you could say the DAC combines elements of the cartridge (generator) and phono stage (processing and output stage). But yeah, like @edcyn said it may be a fun analogy for a minute, but not really worth further exploration.

I run analog only here, and everything matters. However I can express at least some surprise that the cartridge and even table (past a certain point - basic tables and cartridges will hold you way way back) don’t matter MORE than they do, in the face of the specific matching of cartridge to an arm, and also the proper matching of that to a top-class phono stage (and SUT where applicable). Then you have isolation considerations, which can either matter a whole lot or not that much depending on context.

When I’ve played with digital, I didn’t go very far, but I’ve been consistently surprised how much the transport seems to matter, even more than the DAC itself in some cases.

Nobody said RIAA EQ was anything like the number crunching, filtering, and shaping of DACs. This is a weak analogy to begin with - and the idea was that both phono stages and DACs do "signal processing", in a VERY broadly general sense. Which is true, if not very useful.

And personally I feel that the SONIC impact of phono stages in a high-end rig is extremely large - typically much more than the differences I’ve experienced between DACs. We're talking about voltage amplification factors beyond 1,000x (60dB), so there's that. But again, I’ve gone way further into analog playback than I ever did with digital.

I’ve had two Schiit Yggdrasils and they don’t approach the musical satisfaction of ANY of the dozens of analog combinations I’ve had at home in the last 10 years. I don’t care about how wonderful digital is on paper. The Schiits also break down...a lot. And their customer service sucks worse than their name.

@mulveling

Are you aware that you are most likely listening to a digital recording thru your vinyl ? 95% of all vinyl pressed after the 90s is digitally recorded first.

But good if you are enjoying your sound. I personally moved from a Linn Sondek with an MM Nagaoka MP500 cartridge to digital and never looked back.

@cakyol 

Yes, of course I realize much vinyl is digitally mastered. But there you go - many 70s and earlier recordings DO tend to sound better (at their best, simply sublime to me). The 80s has some rough sounding vinyl, but it’s not like the CDs didn’t have massive problems too. I still enjoy vinyl more overall, even from the 80s to modern era. The main problem I have is the expense or nonexistence of good material from the 90s to early 2000s on vinyl.

I’m OK with digitally sourced/mastered vinyl. It can still sound really good. Don’t know why that doesn’t extend for me to digital media, and don’t really care anymore. I’ve tried enough over the years and settled on what works for me too.

I still occasionally like listening to vinyl too but what I realized eventually (came to admit to myself) is that I like ’watching’ it more than actually listening to it. There is something nostalgic and nice about watching a nice sophisticated tonearm gliding on vinyl. But for me, the sound does not even come close.

I listen to vinyl in the dark a lot, so that must not be a factor for me.

I’m glad you enjoy your digital more. I certainly DON’T want to convert anyone from digital to analog. Good vintage vinyl is already expensive enough!