Yeah they should be using prefabulated ammulite casing...jokes aside vinyl shouldn't sound worse than CD et al at all. They just cost a halfway fortune to get working.
> vinyl shouldn't sound worse than CD et al at all
CDs are slightly beyond the limits of human hearing, meaning that with proper mastering and output filters, you can't do better, though professionals may prefer higher resolution as it is easier to work with. It also means that below CD quality could be noticeable with trained ears.
CD is 44.1 kHz, 16 bit stereo, or 1411 kbps. That's a lot to ask to a physical stylus riding a plastic groove. It may be possible with a laser turntable (these things exist) in a clean room, with a special precision-cut record, but why bother when a cheap digital system can do just as well. In fact, that's probably why laser turntables didn't catch on, they picked every speck of dust, and were already obsoleted by CDs.
Now, if you enjoy vinyl for reasons other than high fidelity, that's fine. Like I said, some kind of distortion can be pleasant, but then, you are listening to your system, not the record. A bit like a guitarist whose amp is treated more like a part of his instrument rather than a device that reproduces exactly what it is being fed, but louder. And mechanical/analog systems have a certain charm that may not do the sound any good, but certainly contribute to the enjoyment.
