Question for the older folks- did you ditch vinyl when cd arrived?

Yes, initially. I gave many away for about 6 months until I realized something was wrong with the music. It finally did all the things I'd hoped for (no noise, no pops, great bass) but I wasn't listening as much as I had been. It took quite a while until I realized where the problem was, I didn't want to believe it, so I didn't. A friend brought over a Philips player and we substituted it for my Kyocera and BANG the evidence was there on song #1 (Steppenwolf's Born to be Wild, hardly an audiophile recording). Lesson #1: Bits is not bits!

Not for CDs but definitely for Qobus

I was an early adopter of the CD technology.  My first player was the Magnavox FD1000 in the early 1980’s.  This was essentially the Phillips CD100, but it was sold in the US under the Magnavox label.  

I maintained all my vinyl but really enjoyed the clarity of CDs.  Maybe it was my old dual 1229 turntable, but I hated when I purchased a new album and there were always a lot of crackles and pops when played.  With CDs, even though the engineering on early CDs was lacking, they were perfectly clear in playback.   That was a revelation at the time.  

Still have all my old vinyl but haven’t played a record in 30 years.   Don’t even have a turntable hooked up anymore.   These days I stream all my music.  

I'll be using recollections, as I can't recall the time with confidence; there will be a reliable accuracy for a report of the 80's era.

What do I know about the launch of CD into the market? Well, there was widespread coverage, usual media channels, radio, and TV Coverage. I also recall the CD appearing on a Science Show where scratching it with a stone was done to show the last thing one would do to a vinyl album doesn't affect the Bee Gees' replay of the CD.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMp1pSVxoqw

Let's say the first of my interests kicked off from this TV programme, as I still have the recollection of the programme today, and most likely rewatched it for the first time in 45-ish years today.

I recall friends in their late teens/early twenties selling their Vinyl Sources and Vinyl Album collections and going the CD route.

I recollect through the 80's and 90's having been experiencing a huge amount of CD replays at the homes of others and in smaller volume at audio retail outlets.

I recollect that I had arranged through audio retail outlets for CD vs Vinyl comparisons to be done. Linn, Mitchell, Pink Triangle, Rega, Roksan and System Deck will all have been TT's used to be compared to CDP's from Arcam, Cambridge Audio, Linn, Marantz, and Sony.

From recollection, Sales Assistants have been very wanting and very keen to convince that CD was the only option to consider. 

Experiences of the CD Source during the era referred to did not offer much to me to convince me to move over to CD as a shared Source or a Sole Source.

Prior to COVID times, an EE friend became convinced they could create electronics to really improve on certain CDP's where selected donor models had designs for a high-quality mechanical function for a mechanism. This was based on the already put into practice custom-produced electronics for TT's, especially models invested in, to have improvements done to the Platter Bearing mechanical interfaces. 

During this era, thoughts were very well established about the desirability of very tight tolerance, low coefficient of friction bearing parts, used for mechanical interfaces used to rotate a Hard Media, i.e, a Vinyl LP. The mechanical requirements of the CD's rotation lent themselves to this way of thinking already established. Subsequent learning that certain CDP/CDT producers had already considered these concerns and put designs in place to improve the mechanics proved through investigation to be very desirable. 

When being introduced to the same model A/B comparison of an original spec CDP to an electronically modified model. I was to become more interested in CD or the possibilities of CD. My attention was caught, but maybe as intrigued by the project's development, other than the end sound only. 

Across a period of approx' one year, I heard enough to suggest extended listening would be beneficial in the home system, which was arranged for a few different models, now having been worked on using different designs. Home Loans needed a loan of CD's to be played as well, as the stash in vehicles was not large. Purchasing used CDs became a new undertaking and was instantly liked. Charity Shop purchases usually result in 50-ish CD's being purchased for a few £'s. 

Such a large selection of CD's opened up opportunities to investigate the loaned CDP vs Vinyl Source to once more become an investigation.  

Later on, the friend was offered an alternate option to investigate by somebody who was being consulted about the design ideas being adopted. A proposal was made to use a design produced by the individual being consulted with to trial a DAC they produce with the CDP's.

The DAC in use was an absolute game changer, even with cheaper original spec CDP's the DAC elevated the end sound being produced.

I bought into one of these DAC designs and never looked back.

I also chose a CDT that has a Buffer, to avoid the data read not being sent directly from the disc as the signal.

Today, I have a very large CD Collection, and my Wife and I, have a substantial Vinyl LP collection. Currently, I am using the CD Source much more than the Vinyl Source. Vinyl as a Source still has my heart, and I am investing in it. When present circumstances change, Vinyl will get much more time dedicated to replaying it.   

The CD formats in 16 bit were compromised from the onset, the treble cutoff affecting harmonics rendition. Newer DSD and streaming formats don‘t suffer this limitation and beat the various distortios of analogue hands down. Obviously getting the right digital setup remains key