Is there any high end DAC that can sound as good as turntable ($10,000 budget for each)

[One and a half]

@quanghuy147, there most likely will be a DAC that can equal (or better) than what you could hear from a turntable. 

That DAC will *always* be hindered from performing its best, since the source, cabling and nature of the digital audio transmission paths will hobble that performance. So the sound output of the DAC can change, but not 100% related to the 'sound' of the DAC itself. As a guess that ratio is at least 25%/External influences, 75% the sound of the DAC. So to put that into a budget, well that's not going to be easy.

 

From these experiments, SQ can change dramatically (for the better) and has nothing to do with the DAC itself. So, the never ending quest of digital 'being done right'.

 

For LP's I  do enjoy them and there's similarities of the music that LP as you experience. In particular, drums and vocals are realistic compared with digital, but that may be an unfair comparison. The mastering of digital is at the mercy of audio vandals that can wreck a classic recording, dreading the word 'remastered'.  Old LPs (>50 years) need a lot of work to clean them to reduce that surface noise, and obtaining a quiet copy as a used product is a crap shoot. 

 

For Reel to Reel, it's a dead format. Realities are the pre-recorded media is not plentiful, as opposed to CD and LP, so the price escalates. No one makes a new machine now. The nature of the tape is not permanent, the magnetic particles leach away from the substrate, and aggressive head media like the Akai glass heads chew the particles right off the tape. Mechanically, there's a friction device, bearing, roller, slide that needs adjustment lubrication or alignment. The heads need checking now and again, but there needs to be a calibrated tape to set up the correct bias in the first place, good luck in finding these. let alone a tech that cares and has the knowledge to repair them.

Arguably, a Reel to Reel machine is the coolest of all audio equipment, but long term problems put it well out reach, but for the really hardened and dedicated audiophile. Have often thought about a R2R or even DAT, but the mechanical transport problems do outweigh the romance and nostalgia associated with the machines.

[One and a half]

2 hours ago, sandyk said:

 One and a half has also discussed that aspect in the previous post.

 I previously owned a Sony DAT player but they were costly to maintain as Gary has said.(above) and there were very few pre-recorded DAT music tapes.

 I have also previously owned a Nakamichi cassette deck, and they sounded great after being tweaked, but maintenance costs were also quite expensive, as were the cost of Metal tapes needed for the highest quality recordings.

See also from Ken Kessler:

 

"For any format, whether new or revived, it is the availability of pre-recorded music that determines its health. That's why the LP came back like gangbusters, and the otherwise-hugely-impressive Elcaset withered away."

 

Yup, cassettes in various forms are very complex, especially DAT. I also recall the cost of Metal tapes, and they were chewed up as equally with the poor LN Type 1 tapes. Nice to remember them, but also nice to forget. A lot of DAT tapes out there, underground with musicians, as they recorded direct to DAT as masters. That's now what 30 years old tapes, condition of which would not be great.

[One and a half]

2 hours ago, k27R said:

Good advice from everyone. In my experience, you get more for the money with a good analog setup vs digital. The quality of transport feeding the dac is just as important as the dac itself. Putting all your money into a dac could be disappointing if your transport is not on the same level. 

 

Like you, it was a real eye opener when I put a vintage turntable in my system just to try it out.  My analog and digital setups are on the same level now, but I have way more $$ invested on the digital side of things. I use my analog setup as reference for any changes I make to the digital side of things. Analog just ticks all of the right boxes for me. 

The other issue is that some music is only available on either vinyl or digital. For instance, this month Sade released remastered, with some vision for a change, the original six studio discs on vinyl only. It is then more important to have vinyl or digital played ‘at the same level’ so there’s no compromise on playback, makes the choice of media easier, although vinyl is close to triple the price for the equivalent CD for new releases.

[One and a half]

2 hours ago, quanghuy147 said:

If I am going to build a PC as music streamer to feed my DAC, do you think this is a good option to follow? Thank you.

 

 

The presenter's music server is entry level. The components are one thing, the other is technique of the construction.  As @sandyk points out, have a good look at the thread for the DIY solution. The idea is to build a Taiko Extreme Server as a DIY approach, and like the manufacturer of the Taiko, the development went so far down the rabbit hole, it took a lot of time and effort to rule out what sounds bad. 

Results are pretty good if there's somewhere in between a Taiko and what you're happy with. My own server is not perfect by any means, but with mods here and there, I'm happy with what I hear.