Vote Your Ranking -If you have an opinion on this digital subject

The point here is that we are talking about computer files. Are those files located on a silver disk, a bunch of disk drives, a USB thumb drive, or streamer from a central server through a service like  Qobuz it is all the same… but every part has to be done well. A good streamer (there is on in each of these scenarios… as well as a DAC) will buffer the incoming file, provide absolutely quiet power to the circuitry that streams it to the DAC. So, given the current state of technology it only makes sense to put your efforts into choosing a streaming solution… unless you get a real kick out of fiddling with a disk. 
 

My streamer sounds as good as my vinyl… my vinyl rig is very good (see my user ID for my systems). There are many price points that streaming can equal other methods. 

@ghdprentice, I definitely have to agree with your assessment sir. Having bought and used every high end music reproduction format in the last fifty years plus, streaming is absolutely the way to go now in 2022. 

I do all 4 er 5 er 6...

*1 - Vinyl / turntable

1 - SACD player is so analogue, it is always my first choice

2 - Redbook CD is still, for me, the 2nd best

3 - 24/96 or better usually approaches my Redbook CD player, but not always

4 - As long as I have clean rip, software has to be perfect and the log without errors

(think 3 & 4 can sometimes switch positions with the same recording)

2 - always last, still pretty good, but definitely last, (never seems as clean)

that was fun... friends I have had over always want to know all of the above and the ubiquitous Vinyl comparison as well, so I set this comparison up a few years back. Ironically even with the pops and sometimes crackles most of the people I have over, even though they hear the vinyl problems, like what a lot of them describe as the smoother sound of the turntable.

2 with the proper streamer- Lumin u1

proper DAC - Denafrips 

a decent cable between the two- audioquest diamond usb 

Assuming the same master/mix

1, 3, and, 4 should sound identical and the best.

2 potentially the worst but it could also sound the same.

They should all sound better than vinyl.