WHY DO PEOPLE LIKE THE SOUND OF VINYL SO MUCH?

There are aspects of vinyl records and analog recordings in general that you definitely can notice beyond the pops and crackles of surface noise.

Analog aficionados will often attribute a "warmth" to pure analog sound. This sound is actually a result of analog's limitations in capturing and reproducing sound, particularly on the low end of the mix.

Digital recordings are far more accurate than analog recordings and can capture a much broader dynamic range. Analog recording is much less detailed, and the gaps in data result in a slight abstraction of sound that is often very pleasing to the ear.

You get a very similar difference between images captured on film as opposed to digital cameras – purely digital recording can feel too precise, cold, and clinical, and lose the "warmth" and humanity many people associate with analog technology