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

Thanks Greg!  I agree.  Keep them coming.  

I got in to this about 25 years ago, and started with a Denon dcd-3520 CD player. I liked the sound of the CAL Audio labs player better, but I had no idea what the hell I was doing, so I bought the less musical sounding Denon. Then on to separates from Krell and Spectral. Not having found what I was hoping to, I bought a Basis 2000/Graham 2.0 and a VDH MC-10S cart, and soon after a Koetsu RED. Fast forward 20 years, and I don't even use digital. In between I have had a C-J CD player, an Audio Aero Capitole, and an EAR Acute. Never has any digital source brought forth the emotional involvement and pure enjoyment of analog. I recently set up a 2nd system in the bedroom with Harbeth P3's and a Croft integrated. I am playing a Sony PS-1 in to it for sound, and considering a $500-$800 DAC, but ultimately I think a turntable will grace that system instead.

I visited Salon One Audio in Wisconsin Rapids in the early nineties.  The owner had a rep from Wadia compare his latest digital d/a and transport to a Versa Dynamics turntable. To me and many others the analog setup well out performed the digital.  I have found the digital of today to be formidable, but still not as consistently "musical" as analogue.

When I got into audio, digital playback was just a gleam in an engineer's eye. All we had was vinyl, reel-to-reel and FM. (And live music.) Really.

I've stayed with the LP ever since - while also adding digital into the system. I simply don't see it as a "what's best?" question. I enjoy all of it.

Only after spending some bucks on Wadia 781i and Naim CDS3 and tons of efforts/$$ hunting down boxes of  Japanese mini-LP CDs.  Lesson learned the hard way, but I soo hated warped LPs that just refused to hear the obvious!...