Analog or Digital and why?

Analog is a very expensive option if you want it to be your primary source of music reproduction. Turntable/tonearm/cartridge/phono amp/stand/record cleaning machine and a host of necessary products from stylus cleaner to carbon fiber record brush to a Zerostat you have to have in the winter. Last Record Preservatives and Stylast. A modest system can be an easy 20 grand and you have yet to purchase your first record and the new audiophile pressings are going through the roof. The new thing is they take a record that was originally a single 33 and third and pressing 2 records at 45rpm and selling them for $50. Guess they sound better? Haven't heard Fremer weigh in on this. The newest thing I read about is the PVC is being reformulated and look out what these will cost. So in my humble opinion, high end analog is for wealthy audiophiles. There are those who may disagree, but my analog front end was $15,000 in the early 2000's and my system had a lot to be desired. 

This is a provocative post because it is so full of generalizations. No, vinyl didn't die, but digital has made amazing strides. 

it's digital for me. My reasons:
1. I love the gear and the passion of assembling systems - I am a System Builder, a fabulous way to enjoy the hobby! - more than amassing a collection. 
2. I put the $ I would have spent on a media collection into the system, which has, imo, meant a far more holistically high end result and more enjoyment for me than being a Mediaphile. 
3. Digital has become so good that now what determines better sound is not analogue vs. digital, but setting up a holistically superior rig. 
4. This is a big one; most of the music I want is not on vinyl. I'm not about to buy vinyl of music I do not want just to have analogue. 

I'll shut up after this. Analog is also very labor intensive. When you get these expensive records they have to be cleaned with a decent vacuum record machine even before you think about playing it. New records have a substance called mold release compound in their grooves or your record would not fallen out of the stamper. After that comes the Last Record Preservative. This stuff is magic. I found a Bowie Ziggy Stardust mofi issue. I lost count at 100 plays. No record wear, no increase in surface noise. They also make a product called Stylast you put on your just cleaned stylus  After applying this, now your ready to play the record.(don't forget to dust off the record with a  nice, meaning expensive, carbon fiber brush.) But is your cartridge's overhang/azimuth/tracking force/anti-skating and VTA set. Ha, many records are of different thickness so the vertical tracking angle has to be properly set. All good tonearms allow you to adjust this while the record is being played.
Or you can open the music player software of your choice and click on what you want to listen to.

Still if I somehow suddenly became a rich guy, as in $100,000 to buy gear, it would be back to vinyl. Done right, it can sound that good and digital just can't match the magic...

Analog is also very labor intensive.

And that’s why I went digital! :) I *am* sorta lazy, but truly love the convenience of digital. I am a bit A.D.D., and when I listen sometimes my mind wanders and I can restart the song. Or, sit there and listen to a favorite track 2, 3, 6 times in a row without leaving the chair.

I get that in the best rigs analog can sound better, but for me digital is good enough and I have a decent system. I just don’t have the "fiddly" gene either ... having to clean, tweak, fiddle, dust, etc for analog is so tedious. For me. But different strokes for different folks. I can’t wait to spend some time with my friend’s newly overhauled $50k system (incl Vandersteen Quatros and an AR Ref preamp) when he gets his new turntable set up. All the benefits, none of the work for me!

If I ever win the big lotto, maybe I'll hire my own personal analog tech to set it up and maintain it for me. Maybe! Or, I'll buy a T+A or other best-of-the-best digital rigs which even analog fiends says comes close enough to sounding analog, and better in some ways, that no vinyl will be desired.

good thread, good discussion