[BobinNJ]

OK, I know this is an "Apples vs Oranges" question, but I'm going to ask.  I recently upgraded my Phono setup from a budget table to something more midfi.  I like the sound, but being an want-to-be audiophile, I did an A-B comparison; analog vs digital.  They were close, closer then I would have thought, but the digital still sounds better.  Now, I am comparing a 30 year old album to a 24/96K file, so I guess it may not be the best A-B, but is it realistic to think that vinyl should perform at the same level as digital?  Is it a case that the analog setup needs to be several thousands of dollars to match a correspondingly modest digital one? 

 

[tubes]

Although rega is not my favorite in tables it is still a good table and you should be getting good sound out of it.  I have not tried it when I owned a rega P25 but it is said that a rega needs to be placed on a lightweight low mass table or stand.  Many rega owners recommend the inexpensive Ikea Lac table.  I looked at your profile and did not see what phono stage you are using which can also determine the SQ.
 
I don't know your level of experience with setting up tonearm/cartidges but it might be a good idea to recheck everything or have an experienced person do the set up for you.