Missioncoonery
With all due respect to you, you are comparing your digital sound quality history that your ears have become accustomed to for decades, to the analog quality of a $5k - $6k analog rig. Quite frankly, given the inherent obstacles of old technology analog turntable playback, overcoming those obstacles to the extent of duplicating the competitive digital sound quality that is engrained in your brain (ie, no cracks, no pops, no ticks, etc etc, together with the so called, "warmer" sound of vinyl) COULD easily cost well into the $20k - $35k range for a well matched turntable, tonearm, cartridge combination, and add another $5k minimum for a decent phono stage preamp. IMO, if you are a demanding and astute listener, $6k will NEVER get you analog sound quality that even remotely compares to great digital. For me, after listening to top tier digital audio reproduction for many decades through some relatively high end gear, it is rare that I run across budget analog systems that that even begin to approach the sound of high end digital.
AND ONE LAST THING, I too, desperately desire in my advancing age to rekindle the "sexy analog experience", but quite frankly, am not so confident I want to invest $30k plus into an analog rig, on the mere hope, that it JUST MIGHT be competitive with my perceived sound quality of the digital rig. It is the sound experience of the music that is most important to music lovers. And if we are already getting nearly the best audio experience possible, then it begs the question as to why we would risk big dollars in old technology that has "again become quite the fad". (My favorite record store owner (a mom & pops record store) just leased a 2024 BMW X7!!!)