When people (any old duffer - doesn't have to be an audio nut) down in front of a high performance (but not necessarily high priced) audio system listening to something they know and/or enjoy, they either lap it up or they don't.
Many who do, still resist because their other half won't allow for anything but tiny or flush-mounted speakers in the home.
Those who get into it usually have music collections they are proud of and like to build on. You know, something with a little more substance than a few greatest hits albums from each of the last four or five decades.
These people like to sit down in front of their system, between the front two (or three if it's a HT system) speakers and listen to their favorite music without distraction.
A lot of them are more than happy with CD as their main/only music source, but many people end-up opting for vinyl when they ask their specialist dealer/friend in the know how to get better sound from their gear.

I've known people with $10k Esoteric/Accuphase/BAT/Naim/Krell/Mark Levinson CD players listen with astonishment at how a turntable at less than half the price can sound considerably more involving than their posh digital source. Some of whom previously owned decent vinyl set-ups, but abandoned them thinking vinyl was dead and CD sounded 'perfect'.

Initially, it was easy for Philips and Sony to convince most of the audio-buying public CD did indeed sound 'perfect'. It sounded clear, didn't sound muffled in the upper-registers like most non-Nakamichi cassette decks with Dolby B or C engaged, and didn't pop and crackle like poorly looked-after vinyl.
The discs also appeared indestructible and the machines looked pretty high-tech with lots of cool features like shuffle, program and instant track skip. It was an easy sell (in Japan at least, it took Europe and the US a few years to really warm to CD).
But CD sound hasn't really improved a great deal in the 25 years it's been with us.
With vinyl, pressing quality has improved (180 and 200g offerings are not hard to find these days) and turntables, arms and cartridges have improved in a big way over what was available 25 years ago. Not to mention phono stages.

The other problem back then was, most turntables sold were budget models which weren't very well made and usually not properly set-up. The you had people who didn't know how to or care to look after their records.

Other than some of the cheaper DJ decks and most of those with USB ports on them, today's turntables are built to a much higher standard. Most turntable buyers are serious about their sonic desires or DJ skills, and are therefore happier spending more than budget money on a good deck. Technics SL1200s are comparatively good to go right out of the box and can sound good within moments of them being removed from their box.
Most non-DJ record decks require a little more time and effort with setting-up. Most dealers who sell such decks will offer to do the set-up (sometimes for free if it isn't too labor intensive and the customer hasn't mooched a sizable discount out of them) in order to maximize the turntable's performance.

A good demo of a properly set-up turntable playing some music you like is wonderful thing. Don't be surprised if you find yourself looking at the gatefold and inner sleeves with interest 9now you can see the print) and are left what happened to all the surface noise you used to get driven nuts by.
There is still some surface noise here and there, but if the records are in good shape and the stylus isn't old and worn, it'll be a lot better than it used to. You rarely hear anything once the music gets going.

Sig' begineth here: