Does Anyone Think CD is Better Than Vinyl/Analog?


I am curious to know if anyone thinks the CD format (and I suppose that could include digital altogether) sounds better than vinyl and other analog formats. Who here has gone really far down both paths and can make a valid comparison? So far, I have only gone very far down the CD path and I just keep getting blown away by what the medium is capable of! I haven’t hit a wall yet. It is extremely dependent on proper setup, synergy and source material. Once you start getting those things right, the equipment gets out of the way and it can sound more fantastic than you can imagine! It’s led me to start developing a philosophy that goes something like this: Digital IS “perfect sound forever”; it’s what we do to the signal between the surface of the CD and the speaker cone that compromises it.” 
So I suppose what I’m asking for is stories from people who have explored both mediums in depth and came to the conclusion that CD has the most potential (or vice versa - that’s helpful too). And I don’t simply mean you’ve spent a lot of money on a CD player. I mean you’ve tinkered and tweaked and done actual “research in the lab,” and came back with a deep understanding of the medium and can share those experiences with others.

In my experience, the three most important things to get right are to find a good CD player (and good rarely means most expensive in my experience) and then give it clean power. In my case, I have modified my CD player to run off battery power with DC-DC regulators. The last thing that must be done right is the preamp. It’s the difference between “sounds pretty good” and “sounds dynamic and realistic.”
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Anyone who generalizes insisting that one format is ALWAYS better than an other is usually OTL. Digital obviously has a large advantage over any analog format including R2R. This does not mean that analog sources can not sound superior under the right circumstances. So, as many of us insist, it depends. There is no question that digital is more convenient but if convenience is your main issue then you might as well buy a table radio. 
Acoustic Sounds did not stop offering Digital Downloads because of declining sales. I stopped buying downloads from them because I find HD Tracks site much more convenient. I do buy a lot of records from Acoustic Sounds. I really think they are quite happy selling vinyl as they have increase their presence by buying Classic Records.   
For certain Streaming is taking a large segment of the market. I think young people like this format. I do not. I prefer collecting music. I do not to have to filter through a forest of awful music. 
I love turntables. I grew up with them so, there is an emotional connection that I will never give up.   
In my opinion some CDs sound better than vinyl records and some records sound better than CDs. It's easier to get a great sound from CDs without breaking the bank. It's not the same with vinyl. 

Bottom line for me, it's all about the music. 
I cannot comment on CD sound, but since you included all digital I can share how my records compare to hi-res streaming.  I abandoned CDs 15 years ago when a friend did some A-B comparisons of a few albums on his system.  We both had decent systems...solid state separates with floor standers(total system ~$10k MSRP).  I had no records at all and bought a turntable and began my journey down the groove.  Now, 15 years later, my system has grown along with my collection.  I recently took a chance on an integrated and was surprised how much I liked it in comparison to my separates.  It is a hybrid with tube amplification along with a well regarded DAC.  I got a Node2i a couple weeks ago and have been listening via Tidal and Amazon Music HD.  Tidal would always drop with hi-res files and only play consistently with CD files.  I am now on Amazon and it is a superior user experience and the sound seems the same.  I like how millercarbon described it....background.  When I am upstairs hanging out with my 8yo daughter, it is nice to have the digital and not going up and down the stairs to flip records.  Without exception, whenever I am in my seat and experiencing the soundstage, records win.  It is kind of like soda.  I quit buying soda at the grocery over a decade ago.  I would occasionally get one when indulging on fast food.  The past few years I almost have to spit out the first drink so I never get them anymore.  My ears have not had digital music through my speakers in years and oh my gosh....whenever I switch over it is sooo bright and tinny!!  The fatigue is immediate.  I plan to keep my Node2i as it opens up the door to listen to music I don't yet own and it also makes things simpler when cooking or upstairs.  If the playing field is somewhat level between the two sources, then I cannot imagine digital ever sounding better.  I think some people have a mental block for the time and care it takes to own and enjoy vinyl.  If digital makes you happy then you are lucky, but I think you owe it to yourself to give vinyl a chance.  After all...we do tweaks and upgrades just to hear the faintest audible justification.  Well, digital to vinyl is by far the best tweak I ever made to my system.  
Oh boy...

I have about a dozen recordings in both vinyl and digital.  There things about each medium I like better than the other, so I would say that neither is superior.  They are different.

The big downside to vinyl is that it is expensive to get done right and digital costs a tiny fraction of that.  It's not the CD player that is important.  It's the DAC you're running through that counts.  CD players all buy their transports from the same very few vendors, so obsessing about transports is foolish.  The difference in cost between one CD player and another is in the DAC and the appearance of the cabinet.

I've been running a Peachtree DAC-iT for years now and I'm very happy with it.  I got a chance one day to do some serious comparisons between it, a Schitt Yggy and a PS Audio DirectStream.   Half the listeners that day actually liked the Peachtree best.   I preferred the PS Audio DirectStream a bit, but not $6000 more.  The Schitt sounded like...  Sorry Schitt lovers.

I run a pro grade Tascam CD-200 player and take an optical feed from it to my Peachtree.    I also have ripped all of my CDs to flac format and play them off of a laptop PC into the Peachtree.  Sounds identical, as it should.  Exotic digital cabling is totally BS.  The benefit of digital is that it's just data and is either transmitted or it's not.

My recommendation is to do as I do and run a pro grade CD player with optical output to the DAC of your choice, which can switch to USB from a laptop PC.  You can either rip your CDs to wav or flac format and play off the PC, or just stream directly off the Internet from a service like Tidal.

As for vinyl, I recommend getting into it unless you're already deep into it, in which case you're already doomed.   I bought my first record back when Lyndon Johnson was president and have far too many records to pitch 'em all out, aside from the many I love which are not available on digital, so I have to have a good turntable.   

Good luck!
dhite, I would have to say your choice of digital equipment might be...not great. I have plenty of Hi Res digital files that are as good or even better than anything you will get out of vinyl and I use very particular electrostatic speakers. I love records, but totally dissing digital program sources is incorrect. You are cutting yourself off from a great way to collect music particularly modern digitally recorded music. I prefer to keep older analog recorded music analog and newer digitally recorded music digital but I do have some amazing 24/96 downloads of older analog stuff that is wonderful. There is so much stuff out there presented in so many different ways that making generalizations is a big mistake.