Man, you've got multiple opinions in here that are popular and unpopular in different contexts. In an audiophile community, that opening would be very unpopular

But you also get steaming involved, which is digital rather than CDs in a direct sense.

But the whole "earbud" bit is just silly because the term is often used for IEMs, which can produce amazing sound, even compared to cans or great speakers. Like, my gear is all budget-ish, and my tin t2s hold up well against my beyerdynamics and sennheisers (again, entry tier gear across the board). I've even got those cheap Sony buds that can compare decently to much better IEMs (they don't make them any more, but they came with some of the Sony phones years ago).

So it's hard to tell exactly what you mean by "earbuds" making poor quality audio. It's all about how well made they are imo.

So, I didn't vote on the post, but I feel it is overall a fairly popular opinion outside of audiophile circles, which is where I think you're coming from.

I happen to agree with you on average though. I have a decent vinyl collection thanks to my parents giving theirs to me to add to my own. Sound wise, there's less clarity, more noise, and every play worsens that. They do last longer than CDs though. Some of mine are from the fifties and earlier, but I've had CDs from the nineties end up unplayable just from age. Even the oldest, most played record I have can still play.

I'm a digital guy for listening now though. Good lossless formats are essentially immortal, sound great, and are much easier to store. Rip CDs, enjoy forever :)