Hi vegasdave,
When the compact disc first came out I listened to a few and thought they sounded wretched. Stayed away from them and didn't even listen to one of them for the next 8 years.
In the meantime, fearing the disappearance of vinyl, I went on a buying binge, accumulating as many EMI, RCA Shaded Dog, Mercury, etc. lp's as I could get my hands on. I continued faithfully practicing all the vinyl rituals - regularly used a VPI record cleaner, practiced meticulous stylus hygiene, tweaked and fiddled with my TT setup (fancy high-end stuff).
But always those snap, crackle and pops. Dust is EVERYWHERE, no matter how hard you try to keep it off your precious record surfaces. And the record surfaces themselves - so damn variable. I tried some premium priced audiophile labels. Not only was the music anemic, the surfaces were in some cases shockingly bad. But I mostly accepted this. This was the price you paid for this wonderful analog medium.
8 years after rejecting the cd, I finally decided (more out of curiosity than anything) to dabble my toes in the digital waters. Didn't want to make a big commitment, so it was a basic Yamaha player and a few cd's. I was shocked at how good they sounded. I bought a few more - same reaction. Before long I was converted. I jumped the vinyl ship and never looked back. Wasn't long before I replaced that Yamaha with some higher-end digital stuff.
I actually have no quarrel with those who love vinyl. I rather admire them for putting up with it. It seems to be a prospering specialty medium, but I don't think it well ever be more than just that. For me it is a rather user-unfriendly and technically clumsy medium. It's not something that I would care to ever again get involved with.
Sorry for such a long-winded answer to your simple question.
Happy listening.
