@OP. This is basically a value proposition question as far as I'm concerned i.e. take the cost of the relevant software collection and divide it by the cost of the playback equipment. Or put more simply, a big record collection better justifies a big investment in the turntable/arm/cartridge. I know that calculation limps for streaming given that the size of the collection is exponentially larger than any physical collection. But then that depends on how valuable almost limitless choice is to you. I listen to my records and cd more than I listen to streamed music (and I have a reasonably large collection of both) so continued investment in playback systems for CD and vinyl is justified.
