tgrisham, I've been doing this as long as you and I agree 100%. When CD's first came out in the 80's I replaced all my LP's with them and sold the LP's along with all my TT paraphernalia. Now all my CD's have been converted to ALAC and reside on my Sony HAPZ1ES. I did recently get another TT, and I have a handful of brand new Mofi Original Master Recordings. I did it just for the nostalgia. Other than the music, they are dead quiet, but don't sound any better than the DSD processed ALAC, and are more of a pain in the keister to mess with.
I must be old
Listening tonight to Heavy Weather on first vinyl then CD through a Sonica DAC it occurs to me that there are no pops, the stage separation is larger, the dynamics are larger and the instruments are better defined. My record album is not brand new. It has surface noise. My CD does not. I want to love my vinyl but unless I buy perfect new LPs I cannot tolerate the surface noise or lack of frequency limitations for the sake of euphonic sound. Am I crazy? Misinformed? Stupid? I have been an audiophile for 50 years.