I have owned a Great Northern Sound Statement mod Wadia 861 SE since 2003, so I am very familiar with its sound. Likewise, I have owned or been privileged to long term loans of several very competent turntables including an Avid Acutus with SME V and Koetsu Urushi, Linn LP-12 with Rega RB300 and Shure V15, Spiral Groove SG-2 with TriPlanar VII uii and Koetsu Urushi and Brinkmann Balance with Schroeder Reference and Transfiguration Orpheus. Note that I had ample opportunity to compare each of these analog rigs to the 861 SE GNSC Statement.
In short, I think that anyone faced with a choice of either analog or digital, no matter how good, is creating a false choice. I have substantial collections of both vinyl and CDs and some favorites are available on one medium but not the other. Since I care a lot about a lot of this music, I don't want to just pick one medium and lose the chance to listen to the music of one format only.
Second, I want to have the best possible experience listening to either format that I can. Why would I want a killer player of one medium and a tepid player in the other format?
Third, I don't think that CD or vinyl consistently are "better" one versus the other. As Gregm stated above, vinyl is subject to far more variation in quality than is CD. If you want consistently good quality, CD is the way to go. It also favors the lazy and sometimes I don't want to clean the record and flip it every 20 minutes. At the same time, good vinyl provides surpassing intimacy and warmth that CD seems not yet able to match.
Fourth, while modest analog and digital rigs can provide very good sound, you can improve each with additional investments that track diminishing returns. For example, my Linn LP-12 is a very good player at a small fraction of the cost of my Spiral Groove but I like my Spiral Groove a lot better and listen to it almost exclusively over the Linn. Similarly, my Resolution Audio Opus 21 is very good, just not as good as my 861 - again at a fraction of the cost.
Fifth, I think that there is an aesthetic unique to the experience of CD and one unique to vinyl. I interact differently with a CD in that I tend to toss it into the player and forget about it. It is a medium that requires less involvement in its preparation for play and during play. Selecting an LP, pulling it from the larger, art covered sleeve, placing it on the turntable, cleaning it and cuing the arm is very involving and I seem inclined to pay attention. That said, I am always moved by the CD version of "Till It Shines" by Lyle Lovett and Keb Mo and the LP version of Rickie Lee Jones singing "Lush Life." I find each of these experiences profoundly moving and would not willingly give up either. (These are just a couple of examples of music that moves me. YMMV)
In short, I like both formats but for different reasons. CD has great dynamics, bass, quiet and consistency. LP has a warmth and intimacy that draws me in, when it's good, though often LPs are kind of junky.
I hope that I have confused anyone looking for a simple answer because I don't think that there is one. The answer for me is to get the best CD player and table I can afford and listen to both. With luck, I can keep tracing a path toward further diminishing returns (and moving music) in each format.
