OT - Importance of CD/digital vs vinyl

I got my first CD player for high school graduation in
1994, but didn't take long for me to realize that many of
the CD albums I was buying lacked the "correct" version
of the songs I heard on the radio during the 80s. This
started my pursuit of greatest hits and VA compilations
to find those elusive "hit" versions. It wasn't long
before I bought a turntable so I could at least listen to
those versions on vinyl that I couldn't find on CD. Of
course, this wasn't as convenient as CD. Not to mention I
couldn't mix in those 45s the way I could program CDs on
my 5-disc changer.

Things started to change in the late 90s when I began
ripping CDs and converting vinyl to MP3 on my PC, which I
hooked up to my stereo. Finally, I could have all of my
music available in a single "jukebox". Even so, I was
working with a low quality turntable, so having a song on
CD was still preferable to vinyl in most cases.

However, over the last 20+ years, between upgrading my
vinyl setup, the introduction of easy-to-use noise-
removal software, and upgrading my files to FLAC, the
majority of my needle drops now meet (or sometimes
exceed) the quality my CDs. I've actually replaced many
brickwalled and digitally-futz-with CD versions with
vinyl transfers. While it's still nice to discover a
well-mastered 45 version on CD, it just isn't as
important to me as it once was if there's a quality vinyl
option available.

Wondering if anyone else has followed a similar path over
time?

That path is pretty well worn! I do a weekly show on what was once one of the Storz top-40 stations, and among its features is a top 20 countdown based on one of the station's original record surveys from the '60s and '70s. One of the major selling points of the show is playing as much original vinyl as possible, and my goal is to have each song sound just as it did when it was originally a hit on the station.

There have been many instances where I've gone with a vinyl dub over a CD option, either because it's truer to (or is) the original mono mix or it just plain sounds better. The opposite also does happen, when it's abundantly clear that the CD came from a lower generation source, but that's still the exception, rather than the rule.

Pointing out album vs. single differences, as we do here on the board, has also sharpened listeners' ears, as noted by this Facebook poster after I played the mono vinyl (okay, styrene) 45 on the show:

I've heard "Like A Rolling Stone" a million times, but as we listened to the show in our hot tub via my phone and a Bluetooth speaker, I couldn't believe how loud the tambourine was. I don't think I even noticed tambourine on the recording before! Just listened on the same speaker to the YouTube official audio... tambourine is there, but doesn't leap out at you. Strange!

It's amazing what you can coax out of those grooves sometimes. Not even the same song from the original mono Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits LP made the tambourine "pop" like the 45 did.   

Good points Lunar.

I embraced CDs when they came out, though I waited until they were well-established ('87-88 or so) to do so and never went all-in replacing
perfectly good vinyl just for the sake of replacing it. Likewise digital downloads for current releases...I had a newmusicserver.com account
when I was still working in radio, though it has since lapsed. I've digitized much of my collection, and find it way more convenient.

The one thing I don't have much interest in is streaming. Other than occasionally listening to a non-local radio station I just don't see
the appeal. I can put together my own mixes that (1) sound better and (2) are just songs I like.

I really don't get the Great Vinyl Revival™, other than nostalgia for some of us older guys (I'm 72) I don't see any upside to it. I've
thinned out my LP collection by about 40% over the last few years. Not ready to part with any of my 45s though.

I didn't start collecting vinyl 45's again until 2007
when I discovered an internet interview with Jim Abbott
(RIP) who was a vital part of this forum for many years.
That interview made me realize that many songs I had in
my library were LP versions vs. 45 versions and I wanted
to replace them with 45 versions which led me here. I
bought a Technics 1200 turntable (after a short run with
an Audio- Technica turntable) and began to dub 45's which
weren't available digitally. Since then, I've recreated
many 45 versions and discovered through the database
which CD's have 45 versions. I also discovered Qobuz
which allows me to purchase lossless files. I've shifted
more away from vinyl and look for 45 versions digitally
these days, purchasing a CD only if it's not available to
purchase on Qobuz.

AutumnAarilyn wrote: I never liked albums on vinyl but singles (45's) were okay but many were styrene. There was a big quality difference between the better sounding Warner 45's and RCA's 45's. RCA's labels even turned white.

But not all styrene sounded bad, nor did all vinyl sound good. Most labels used regional pressing plants, and
quality of pressings could vary considerably from one plant to another.