With your knowledge base, can we do a theoretical?
Say a guy is running an SU-8 to feed an LP, an SP200 and a pretty nice tube amp. He thinks about getting a Bifrost 2, but It will cost him about $1,200.00 in his native bucks (lot of money to him). What kind of differences might be notice?
Music being Rock, pop, blues and horn jazz.
Media being 40% ALAC, 30% MP3 (320Kbps) and 30% AAC (260Kbps). No streaming.
Just as a for instance… 
Better representation of space, better timbre, and more natural presentation would be the most apparent imo with the bifrost 2. There would be an upgrade in detail, but imo not as noticable as the other aspects mentioned (and reduced harshness as well). With other dacs the experience will vary. Looking used for other dacs may yield a better deal as well (we can talk in PM’s)
what is LP amp?
and @M0N so should I not be worrying since I do not have expensive equipment? Is it worth going down this path? What is a comparable DAC to the 789 for Jazz and Rock?
@Nick_Mimi what kind of difference is there in the “same DACs with $2.8K amp and $1.5k headphones” scenerio?
@jetman I can hear difference in headphones, mainly gear I am concerned with. Dark Side such a cool album. My dad has original press. He says vinyl is superior, I laugh.
A monolith liquid platinum
I think you already have plenty high end enough gear to tell the difference, I wouldn’t be too concerned with your gear falling short imo
I mean, tubes are just something else… I hear an enormous difference between my 40$ DAC and my 40$ FX Audio Tube 03. 
Man I wish I could give you a listening session, It’s so much easier to hear things for yourself than to speak of them. The only reason I have a varied cross section of items is exactly because it is so hard to audition any of this stuff.
Anyway, in this particular scenario the difference is a veiled top end, mushy midrange, and boring uneventful bottom end without clean distinction in the sub regions. A lack of life and liveliness to the music and a word I hate to use but dammit, can’t find another way to describe now that I have heard it is “air or airiness” to the sound. Greater depth and sense of space with much cleaner detail and delineation of individual instruments. It’s all there, you just need to spend time listening for it all and eventually you start to realize, “Shit how the hell did that happen, I thought it all sounded pretty good a week ago?”
That was simply an easy comparison to make and very clear to hear for most of us.
I also have it on original vinyl and yes it is superior for nostalgia but not for really hearing it all as it was probably intended.
I wish too lol.
And nice description. I keep going back and forth and really can’t tell. @m0n recommended to spend longer with my gear and test that way. Usually going back and forth was easy to tell difference (like Spotify vs Tidal was so easy to tell and results were immediate)
Are these differences as major? For me no.
Yes, I tell him. Spends $100’s on cartridges alone…
Ah, that’s rather budget for a cartage lol
Try not to stress it so much, this really should be about enjoying the music and finding an outlet to relax and be happy. I played with car audio in the 80’s and a bit in the 90’s, then I moved to home theater in the 2000’s and a short 3 years ago picked up my first “good” headphone and budget priced but “good” amplifier.
most of the time i actually nap thru the music session itself 
which means it did its job and I RELAXED! I often wonder why I spend so much money on toys that simply put me to sleep 
Happy listening my friend, take your time with it and ask all the questions you want, we’ll try our best based on our own experiences to lead you in whatever direction you want to go.
Ah that’s a nice one, solid pick
Yes, I try not to think about it but I see so many reviews, this DAC does this sound, this amp is better, you know? I am worrying I am legitimately missing out on some music. Am I you think guys? @m0n
Give us a large enough budget and there’s at least a dozen guys on this forum alone that can help you spend it. Funny thing is a month or 2 later if you continue reading shit on the internet you will be back wondering mostly the same things… even after you spent, purchased and heard some good stuff 
this is a wild hobby and many folks will fixate on the gear.
If you enjoy music, you aren’t missing out on anything.
You’re definitely not “disrespecting the artists” or anything with a 789 and Sennheiser 650s an inexpensive but affordable and decent DAC.
I don’t really think you are missing out tbh, you can improve your setup sure, but it’s not like you are missing out or anything. As long as you actually are enjoying it I don’t see an issue
Seeing and hearing reviews is where you have to ask yourself truthfully… Is this guy trying to sell me something or does he really feel that way… Your ears are the ones that are going to tell you what sounds good to you!.. It does not matter what sounds good to others only you. I have a set of powered monitors that some would call value line but to me these Kali audio LP6’s are amazing and accurate to me! In the end that is what matters to me. Yes I come here seeking advice and Their are so many truly helpful people here that genuinely care that YOU are finding what YOU need not what they want to sell. Just my 3 cents…
@Mon… Apparently 420 has reached his limit of responses for the day? He sent me a message to forward but it is blocked for some reason and I cannot see what it says.