Would vinyl even be invented today?

Scvan, you hit that nail SQUARELY on the head.
USA is totally a "next thing" market on about anything you care to mention.

Ok ... not a technical response, but how do you factor in the album cover pics on old vinyl. I have a bunch of Linda Ronstadt LPs from the 70s and I still have a crush on her ... from the old days. I also have a CD re-issue of one of her old LPs ... it's just not the same.

I concede that the quality of some digital formats may exceed the playback quality of LPs (no ticks, pops and hissing), but ... modern turntables are just so much better than the junk that was on the market in the 60s and 70s. I think my hot-rodded VPI Classic 2.75 does a great job playing back my old vinyl.

Ok ... maybe not as clean as my CDs, but really well done. Still a great musical experience. Just my humble opinion.

Happy Holidays to all of my Audiogon pals!!

Cheers,

BIF

Cover art is an lp strongpoint. On the digital front one can see read and learn more about music or artists of interest these days as the graphical user interfaces of software controllers continue to evolve and integrate with content and other apps via Internet. So much is possible there already. My squeezebox controller app runs on tablets and provides links to artist album and track info on the allmusic site Wikipedia and others. With my Amazon fire box streaming hi res audio via toslink to my systems dac the display of album art on my hdtv is about the size of an lp cover. Still nothing physical to own and touch though.

"I'm not sure about that. From what I see at record stores it seems about 95% of record sales are people who have systems that would be better used for CD playback."

I wasn't guessing on that. It really happened. For a long time audiophiles were pushing for a better digital format than CD. And when SACD and DVDA came out, and then failed shortly after, a lot of people were fed up with digital and went back to analog. The demand for TT's was so great, there were several companies that were backed up over 6 months.

"The resurgence of vinyl is not about sound quality it is about hipsters being ironically cool."

Sorry, but that is a silly comment. How do you know what motivates an individual to buy a TT? Can you even come up with 1 piece of evidence to show that's a true statement?

Zd542 .... maybe using the phrase "ironically cool" does not reflect the motivation of many. In my case, I bought a 1st generation VPI Classic 1 and DIY "modded" it to near Classic 3 performance.

Specifically, I switched out the tonearm/wand assembly to the Classic 3 version. I also switched out the 600 rpm motor to the Classic 3 300 rpm motor. Also bought the periphery ring and SS clamp. In truth, the biggest change was realized from just switching out the wand. The other changes were no big deal ... but fun.

I like fiddling with the tonearm azimuth, VTA "on-the-fly" tower and VTF adjustments.

I'm glad that I have both vinyl and CDP capabilities. Sometimes I just feel like laying back to listen to my CDP. That way no getting up to fiddle with the TT.

Happy Holidays!!

BIF