Bomarc makes alot of sense, but pragmatism is not always a strong suit around these parts. If it's any consolation, there are hundreds of cd tiles on ECM, CMP, Tzadik, Intuition, Hat, Enja and other labels that sound better than most SACD releases. Vinyl has its virtues, but it's often beat up and expensive when you can find the stuff you want. And it's FRAGILE! Don't let anyone kid you, a stylus does not ride the groove in a clean low friction environment. The contact surface area to weight ratio is about a ton per sq inch. A record isn't the same and doesn't sound the same after a stylus has been dragged through it a few times.
When you have an exceptional piece of vinyl, a great table, arm, cartridge, and stylus that are set up perfectly (they never stay properly set up for long) you can hear some %#@*/:>} GOOD STUFF!!. You can get way more than 99% of the way there w/ the best digital front ends. Sometimes the last .05% or so really matters. I think groovier'n hell that some guys go at it that way all the time. Unfortunately, they'll miss out on most of the incredibly good music and recordings that have come out in the last 10 to 15 years.
When you have an exceptional piece of vinyl, a great table, arm, cartridge, and stylus that are set up perfectly (they never stay properly set up for long) you can hear some %#@*/:>} GOOD STUFF!!. You can get way more than 99% of the way there w/ the best digital front ends. Sometimes the last .05% or so really matters. I think groovier'n hell that some guys go at it that way all the time. Unfortunately, they'll miss out on most of the incredibly good music and recordings that have come out in the last 10 to 15 years.