I prefer CRTs for several reasons. The "easier on the eyes" thing is rather subjective. I find well focused CRTs running at 100hz or more to be easier to look at than LCDs, which tend to be too bright and all have that irritating screen door effect to some degree. Also, I personally find the text size on 1280x960 on a 20" screen to be comfortable but want much higher resolutions for games, which can only be done on a CRT.
I have noticed motion blur ("ghosting") to some degree on pretty much every LCD I have seen, but it actually doesn't bother me that much on 12ms and lower panels. The main issue I have with LCDs is actually the contrast and dark colors. They aren't that bad for daytime usage, but a lot of IQ problems that aren't very noticeable in daylight really stand out when using them in pitch dark, which is how I like to do my gaming. The screen door effect is more apparent than usual, dark gradients like shadows in games look terrible and everything has a slightly washed out appearance to it, especially given how most modern FPS games can be pretty dark. The LCDs with the glass coating look significantly better than normal ones (although not quite at CRT level), but they are expensive and only in 19" versions for some reason.
As for the vibrant colors, the CRTs with the superbright/dynamic mode can attain the same level of brightness as most LCDs (this is probably what people mean by vibrant), but without having the bad contrast. Although to be fair, these really look dramatically better in games than CRTs without this feature.
Also, most high resolution LCDs seem to be limited to 60hz when on DVI. I don't know if this is an issue with LCDs in general or just the ones currently out, but 60fps is a little low for some games. The 85hz and 100hz available on CRTs is better not only because it reduces flickering but also gives higher framerates.
There are certainly reasons to get LCDs, but there are compromises involved and a good CRT will still provide the best gaming experience. Of course, these days you almost have to get an LCD, since the top CRTs have all but disappeared from the market and their quality control had gone through the floor near the end anyway.
I agree with xtknight entirely. Except for the crème of the crème of CRT's, they look like crap to me these days, after having used sharp DVI-equipped LCD's for the past couple of years. Fixing PC's of people with CRT's even a couple of years old, I now, more than ever, notice how CRT's lose focus over their life; in some cases it's become so drastically blurry that I can't believe they still use it!
Again, except for a well calibrated professional CRT, text just looks better on a good LCD, period.
I think you're looking at crappy CRTs; there is a lot of variation in CRTs as far as focus goes and bad CRTs are probably worse than bad LCDs in general. My CRT easily looks as sharp at 1600x1200 as any DVI connected LCD.
-LCDs are always perfectly in focus. They never go out of focus and you don't have to risk your life to adjust it correctly (on some older CRTs).
This is an annoying thing with most CRTs. I wish they would make those focus controls more easily accessible, as they can become pretty important over long periods of time. Mine has two holes on the side that let you adjust them, but most require you to take off the casing.
). The first generation of LCD's were functional, but the new ones are gorgeous!
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