Unpopular Opinion

I dont think most people like vinyl today because of sound quality. They just like the ritual of playing it and things like big cover art. If you want convenience then just listen to flac files.

For a second I thought I was back on reddit.

Man, you've got multiple opinions in here that are popular and unpopular in different contexts. In an audiophile community, that opening would be very unpopular

But you also get steaming involved, which is digital rather than CDs in a direct sense.

But the whole "earbud" bit is just silly because the term is often used for IEMs, which can produce amazing sound, even compared to cans or great speakers. Like, my gear is all budget-ish, and my tin t2s hold up well against my beyerdynamics and sennheisers (again, entry tier gear across the board). I've even got those cheap Sony buds that can compare decently to much better IEMs (they don't make them any more, but they came with some of the Sony phones years ago).

So it's hard to tell exactly what you mean by "earbuds" making poor quality audio. It's all about how well made they are imo.

So, I didn't vote on the post, but I feel it is overall a fairly popular opinion outside of audiophile circles, which is where I think you're coming from.

I happen to agree with you on average though. I have a decent vinyl collection thanks to my parents giving theirs to me to add to my own. Sound wise, there's less clarity, more noise, and every play worsens that. They do last longer than CDs though. Some of mine are from the fifties and earlier, but I've had CDs from the nineties end up unplayable just from age. Even the oldest, most played record I have can still play.

I'm a digital guy for listening now though. Good lossless formats are essentially immortal, sound great, and are much easier to store. Rip CDs, enjoy forever :)

In terms OF bad equipment you're right. however, good audio equipment is expensive and the Vast majority of people don't want to spend that much just on some headphones to hear something they aren't really paying attention to.

There's also funfactor in having physical media and limited choice. A phone with an entire collection on it is just. . plain. standard. even boring. And the handicapped phone UI ruins the rest of the smartphone experience if you wanna do other things with the phone other than listen to music.

Modern CD players also read newer formats, unlike the old-stock CD players off of ebay from 30+ years ago that only read raw CDA tracks

Add to that:

Solid State Class AB and modern Class D amplifiers are far superior to any Tube amplifier. At this point, I would go as far that higher end Class D amplifiers are better than most Class AB at this point. Hypex and IcePower have made great strides in the sound quality of their amps, which are extremely efficient as well.

You want a lot of 2nd order harmonics in your sound! Great, get it through a DSP that will duplicate it through a modern amplifier and stop heating your room up using tubes.

The only things I don't like about vinyl are the waste and off gassing.

The Library of Congress prefers vinyl because CD’s don’t last as long (with proper care).

At best a CD will remain uncorrupted for 20-30 years. In a climate controlled space-station like environment, maybe 100 years, but unlikely. Then it’s gone.

CDs are technically better for perfect reproduction. I still prefer vinyl for most pre-80s material because of the loudness war. Mastering of releases has warped the discussion entirely

Right...I also have feelings on making music absurdly perfect when recording....I feel it becomes too sterile.