When and how did you, if at all, realize vinyl is better?


Of course I know my own story, so I'm more curious about yours.  You can be as succinct as two bullets or write a tome.  
128x128jbhiller
When CD was introduced;My friends and I didn't buy into it. We had too many LPs. A few yrs later, (3-4) , a couple of the guys each bought a player and their first CDs. Their take on it was that there were No tics and pops, better bass, better cymbals (?), and Long playing time.
 I didn't buy into it. I bought the LP12 that I still use. It blew me away! Records sounded better than ever. That was the start of my high end journey.
... Yeah, definitely gonna toss my VPI turntable in the garbage when  the Love comes out. can't wait!   
Actually to be honest, this thread has gotten me thinking again about improving my digital setup. Much as I love the Chord Hugo DAC, it’s not that user-friendly as home stereo component. Too small and travel-oriented. So there’s a lot of music going unlistened-to on my server. Maybe I need me one of them Tabletop Hugos... (he says while looking around to see what he can sell).

And another down side of vinyl: as I improve my analog system over time, I’ve come to realize that much of the vinyl I buy - maybe even a majority - just doesn’t sound that good. Either it’s poor recording or mastering, or it’s an old and trashed record that looked fine in the store. Cheap software is a key part of the equation for me, so this is kind of a PITA.

I will admit that ON AVERAGE digital files may be better than analog, because digital sources eliminate this whole issue.
Better? Than CD, presumably?

As soon as I learnt how CD worked, I knew it was two steps forward and three back. Just not enough resolution.

Actually listening to them (waaay back, before they were even for sale) confirmed my fears.

It was introduced before both AD/DA conversion and optical disc manufacture were mature technologies.

Had it waited a decade, for PCM resolution at least three or four times higher, and a disc able to  to accomodate the same 74 minutes (or more) of this increased amount of data, it might not have been the disaster it was.