When and how did you, if at all, realize vinyl is better?

I may take you up on that!  

Digital takes a long time to get really right.  I don't agree that the sound is homogenous.  I did not find it reliably good until I built a custom computer with low power and no moving parts, and a dedicated audio-grade SoTA USB card (with separate power supply), added a Wyred4Sound DAC2 and got the ASIO drivers working correctly and made a number of other important software tweaks, and then sought out the best digital release for each title - sometimes that is HDTracks, sometimes that is CD, and sometimes something else.  There are many nuances, like using Exact Audio Copy, to get right in order to max the sound quality.  

I know getting analog right is also a process, but the point is, you cannot compare the two unless you have spent equivalent effort (and had equivalent success) optimizing each.  

A good recording on vinyl, played on a decent table, does produce a bigger sound stage and is just more enjoyable to listen to then a CD less the occasional pops.

I always thought vinyl was better and only reluctantly got into CDs because
a) I bought a CD player as a gift for a friend only to find he's just gotten himself one, and
b) they just took LPs off the shelves and forced us to buy CDs. Which I REALLY resented.
About a year ago I took a flier on a cheap used Oppo to see what SACDs were about. Now I have to say that I have some SACDs and DVD-As that sound better than vinyl and some that don't. I have one Blu Ray audio disc that sounds amazing, even compared to it's DVD-A version.
Not into HR downloads yet.

• Vinyl is more engaging.
• I realized it after I bought my first CD player in 1987--it sat idle for the next 10 years.
• Digital is fine while I’m puttering around the house or traveling, but for serious listening it’s always vinyl.
• This has nothing to do with "better" or "best," it's an aesthetic choice. 

It all depends on the recording for me. Each format has its advantages and can surpass the other with a better recording. For a long time digital didn't come close to me, but improvements in the last few years make it much more listenable. I can get great joy from either format. Cheers,
Spencer