Are 45rpms worth the price?

IMO, NO they are not. 45,s play very short and the sound is not near what a good original 33 1/3 album sounds like. I stay away. And those NEW pressings dont sound any better or worse than a used LP from 30 yrs ago.

Mattmiller,

I am curious which 45 RPMs you have heard.

I have found that the 45 RPM LPs that I have bought are sonically well worth the cost and inconvenience of flipping them more frequently.

Some standout 45 RPM LPs I have bought: new MoFi Bob Dylans, Mingus Black Saint & Sinner Lady and Ah Um, Coltrane A Love Supreme, Dolphy Out to Lunch.

Now, will 45 RPM sound much better if the original recording or mastering isn't very high quality? Likely not.

But for music I love and cherish (and know to be recorded well), I find 45 RPMs well worth while.

I have found that it is very dependant on the individual recording. Some 45 rpm albums sound much different than there 33rpm albums. Most, I have found, are not worth the extra money and inconvenience. You would be better off inquiring about a specific album.
There is going to be more information fed into your system and your cartridge is going to perform extra duty, does that translate to "better"? Very system dependent and very subjective.