You should really try to attend a meet to determine your headphone preference first, as headphones have very different sounds from one another. Singling out the LCD-2 (is it because it's widely raved about on this site?) could be either a hit or miss for you - so you should develop a strategy before buying anything. The idea of getting 2 headphones as mentioned above could be a good strategy.
That said, if you know you want to at least try the LCD-2, it might make sense to go with the respective Schiit DAC and amp - Bifrost and Lyr, respectively. No need to spend much money at first if you're just starting out - when you know what you like and want to upgrade further, then it'd make more sense to use up more of your budget on higher-quality components. No I'm not necessarily a Schiit proponent - personally, I actually dislike the company's name (as trivial as that is) and the visual aesthetic on their products so far, but at the same time I respect any company based in the USA offering built-in-the-USA products that seem to be made well. They have a good return policy too, if you need to use it. (Assuming you're in the USA, of course.) Schiit components also look to have relatively good resale value on the FS forums, if you end up selling anything.
As far as analog goes, having more of your budget available could be a good thing, as analog equipment tends to cost more than digital (and LPs definitely cost more than CDs/files too). Rega, Pro-Ject, and Music Hall make relatively inexpensive turntables and associated equipment. Not that I have personal experience with them, but I regularly read audio publications, catalogs, et al, and I've seen those brands as offering the most inexpensive turntables.
For analog gear I recommend reading up at the various established audio publications (like Stereophile) along with scouring the sites of major online retailers like ElusiveDisc and MusicDirect to see what's available.
The most beneficial experience would be a meet or show though, even if you have to travel to one, which I recommend doing. Next year will have a ton of audio shows throughout the country - Axpona in Florida (March), New York Audio Show (April), THE Show Newport Beach in SoCal (June), Capitol AudioFest in DC (July), California Audio Show in NorCal (July), and RMAF in Colorado (October). One of those has to be at least somewhat close to you.
And there are always regularly-scheduled Head-Fi meets around the country, just check the Meets forum. The biggest areas with the most members and vendors are typically in either NYC or California. There's a big NorCal meet already in the works for February next year and there's always an NYC spring meet every year. The NYC and California meets are always definitely worth traveling for if there are no other meets near you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Duncical 
Im giving serious consideration to the apex peak/volcano and buying a schiit bitfrost for my dac for now and eventually upgrading. Any thoughts?
Also is power conditioning necessary?
My opinion on your suggested gear is: why not get those? IMO neither of those is a bad choice, especially for a first setup.
Power conditioning is controversial and there's no consensus. If it was necessary, I'd think there'd be a consensus.
Edited by Asr - 11/15/11 at 11:56pm
