Maybe my hearing just isn't good enough to tell, but is there really any difference between vinyl and a high quality digital recording? I get wanting to collect these for the art/nostalgia but digital has to be better sound-wise right?
Only if you have a halfway decent setup, and the vinyl isn't shit quality. Which is a serious problem that plagues a lot of new vinyl releases, especially Rap and Hip Hop re-releases. This is especially important for albums reissued after the year 2000, as that is when they started reissuing a lot of garbage pressings. Before 2000 I tend to have good luck buying blindly unless it's a rap release. I've been burned on so many releases in the past that before I buy any new record I always look it up on discogs and read the user reviews. Each individual pressing has it's own comments section where people review the quality of the record. Here's an example...
Wu Tang Clan 36 Chambers Reissue -- Comments in bottom:
https://www.discogs.com/Wu-Tang-Clan-Enter-The-Wu-Tang-36-Chambers/release/10032606
Some companies these days are widely known for shit pressings, such as 4 Men with Beards. They fuck up everything.
Some are well known and produce consistent quality releases, such as Music on Vinyl, and Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs. MFSL is god tier pressings.
So just have a decent setup, and research before you blow money on a pressing. If you can score a good vintage setup on craigs list you will save a butt-load of cash, else you will have to go more modern, and will have to resort to eBay for used gear or else you will end up spending close to a grand easily.
I researched a few years ago, with help from Neo Ash in the AV thread we have here, and scored my setup for around $800.00. Some used, some new. Picked up a
Marantz PM 5004 Integrated Amplifier
Polk TSX330T Speakers
U-Turn Audio
I'm very happy, and this set will probably last me the rest of my life. Except some day I may upgrade the turntable. It's not the greatest setup, but for a cost to quality ratio it's by far the best experience I have ever had to listen to music.
Also, I meant to mention earlier in this post. Acoustic albums really shine on vinyl. Stuff like Alice in Chains Jar of Flies, Johnny Cash: Live at Folsom Prison, and Beck: One Foot in the Grave sound amazing on vinyl. Highly recommend.