I just responded to the thread on how many sources do you have ( shotgunning tonight) and got me wondering why I love vinyl so much? Have a very good digital side on both my main system and my headphone system as well that was set up for Redbook playback (headphone system) only utilising my vast 1,000 CD collection, enjoyed it for about a year, added a turntable and haven't used it since. My love of vinyl has been with me for 55 years, buying and playing, setting up my tables , matching preamps and enjoying the fruit of my labor. I believe my love of vinyl is a simple one, it stemmed from the hands on, need to tinker and adjust that I was born with, it's a very physical attraction that I just can not resist, it satisfies a lot of needs for me and in some way is that mistress that I maintain. My turntable is massive and so easy to look at, I can touch it and get more out of it, I can read about the artist and get info while I listen to an album, I can swap out a cartridge and change the tone and in the day the album covers served as a rolling tray to roll a joint. I love vinyl, but absolutely understand while others don't. I also envy people like uberwaltz that have and use so many sources, wish I could. What say you?
Denying noise , better yet never experiencing the over emphasized claims some experienced is not romanticism for some at all. The environment both played and stored in matters, the condition of the equipment and set up matters, whether the vinyl was cleaned properly before use matters, humidity matters, cartridge choice matters, proper grounding matters, the previous users bad habits matter on handling and playing matters as is the play the whole side vs. the selective needle dropper. All these things can magnify or minimize the noise to near nothing. I whole heartily agree the condition far away sellers use can be disheartening. I buy these days from a couple trusted who sell play graded.. Definitely not a medium for the ham fisted or clumsy , and quite more expensive to do these days. If someone asked me that didn't already have a good collection of clean vinyl....I would recommend they look elsewhere. I respect that some experience more noise than others, ive witnessed it ,..but that doesn't change the fact some of us experience far lower noise floors playing vinyl. Actually digital has a gap for black background from brand to brand as well. Bottom line....vinyl certainly does have more pitfalls, costs and efforts than any other....but when it shines...it almost sounds as good as reel to reel....oops. ...another war...
Why I love vinyl: (1) It reminds me of being a teenager in the 1970s and working my butt off to buy my first turntable, receiver and speakers. That work ethic helped pave a blessed road for me throughout life. It's a nice memory that I reinforce when that turntable starts spinning; (2) Most of the time vinyl sounds more cohesive to me than the same recording that has been remastered for digital; and (3) It requires you to pay attention to the music--you will be getting up and flipping that record--and that means you probably will not get distracted from the listening. Why I hate vinyl: (1) It has me relying on people far away from me to properly grade their used vinyl that is for sale online--I've been burned, but I'm hunting the best copies I can find so I endure this reality; (2) The clicks and pops are real and distract from the listening experience--vinyl folks that deny this fact are romantics IMO; and (3) the fragility of the equipment--better be careful with that cartridge; better be careful with that tonearm. This stuff breaks if you are not careful--wait, it actually breaks even when you are careful.
Simple for me. I love the music. Grew up in the golden years of vinyl. Music , much of which either isn't available or isn't available in a quality digital offering vs the original sin. I procured a very large number of albums when others were selling for pennies on the promise of perfect sound forever. I never experienced the noise on the level some digitites over emphasize it at all playing vinyl. Digital is very good now, finally, but when you already have the music on the original media, with the original recording to do so....it's not really about nostalgia. It's about the music. At least it is for me.
Thats why I have a pretty good digital playback for all the music released digitally in recent years. Both are great....I just feel more emotion in the music on vinyl. If some think that's nostalgia so be it...but I know it's the emotion and dynamic drive in the music vinyl has for me. Me personally, .......I've always believed none of us hear the same let alone the same preferences aural or visually. Choice is great, don't knock it, be glad you can have it.....
MC comes out with guns blazing! I guess sales are good and artists are ensuring they have new vinyl releases. The one thing I noticed at AXPONA and NY Audio Show was that the best sounding rooms or sessions were when a turntable was in use.
When I bought my first upgraded system it was vinyl or tape. So analog only. There are certainly things to like and dislike. What I found when jumping back in 30 years later was that vinyl reproduction had upped it's game considerably, although the Win Strain Guage at the time was eyeopening. That's a like. MC carts with good phono preamps. Big like! Rumble through subs. Dislike Cleaning records. Like, it's like cooking a meal. Less sameness from one artist to another. The biggest like as it reduces listening fatigue. There are likes and dislikes about digital as well, but that isn't for this thread.
Well, that didn’t take long...haters will always be just that..too close minded.
Vinylis great, but the idea that its soundqualityis superior to that of uncompressed digital recordings is preposterous. They sound different, and that's exactly my point....nothing more nothing less.
Everyone loves vinyl. Its just that some people are susceptible enough to propaganda and marketing that they can for a time deny what they're own ears are hearing. Over time though its a losing battle, and one that explains why the digitally deluded are always searching for the next great thing promising to sound "like" a record, while the music lovers who love playing records are happy to buy turntables and even records that are 20, 30, and more years old. We all know the best CD player from 1980, you couldn't give it away, while any old run of the mill 1980 Technics routinely sells for more now than when it was new. Yeah sure there's always someone who will buy the hype. Over time though the Truth will out. This is also the reason analog sales have been the fastest growth segment in the entire music industry for well over a decade now: EVERYONE loves records. Because: MUSIC!
R U Triggered? Too big a Red Pill to swallow? Well, too bad. Because its true.
Vinyl is projected to surpass CD in sales this year.
erik_squires I believe this is due to the revenue generated by streaming causing declining CD sales
It is not quite that simple, because LP sales have shown year-over-year growth for years, independent of CD sales and streaming and download revenue.
Vinyl is projected to surpass CD in sales this year.
I believe this is due to the revenue generated by streaming causing declining CD sales, so as a purchased media, yeah, I can see this, but in terms of what people listen to, streaming/digital will continue to outsell it.
Vinyl is projected to surpass CD in sales this year. I'm not sure age has a lot to do with it. When I visit my local record store, I'm often at the far (as in old) end of the age spectrum.
@wsrrsw, all great points and the question of age of the average vinylphile is something that I am sure would be of interest and also sure as the age goes up so does the chances of the love of vinyl increasing.
"At the end of the day, it just comes down to enjoying your favorite tunes regardless of the medium."
Vinyl/turntables are the embodiment of analog where as other sources need to be treated with DAC’s to get back to analog sound. I can’t hear a difference with a good DAC treated source(s) verses Vinyl on my way to not being able to hear too well anyway.
Vinyl was/is "roots"....so many fell in love w/ "Hifi" via Vinyl.
I would be interesting to know the average age of folks here to see if the percentage of Vinyl aficionados goes up with age? My bet would be for the higher the age the greater percentage of Vinyl and stalwart Vinyl users.
I don't love or hate Vinyl but it requires patience (tinkering/maintenance on a far greater scale than CD's or streaming) and considerable costs over 'dah others.
I grew up with the LP and never left it behind. I also play CDs, stream, and have a few tape decks, too. But a good LP is still very difficult to best, so I stay with it. It’s not really a nostalgia thing.
Like @lalitk , I think love or hate are too strong for my feelings. At some point, didn't have room for everything, and since my LP library was small, I sold a nice analog setup. That was ~20 yr ago.
What I disliked about LP was
Pitch instability from record warps and eccentricity.
Background noise, ticks, and pops
Complicated setup and maintenance
Lack of new repertoire, compared to digital sources
What I liked about LP was
Big jackets, enjoyable for the artwork and legible text
Many albums recorded in the LP era sound better on LP, even now
@big_greg, you hit on a point in your pesponse I wanted to add to and that is the playing of the whole album not just a song. I always play both or all four sides of an album and have found my self disappointed when they change and or shorten a CD version to accommodate the format.
@elizabeth, absolutely feel you and at some point, getting up there in age, probably will follow suit. Still wonder if my attraction is one of comfort and memory because I have heard and actually own two different digital setups that are outstanding. Thanks
I totally agree @noromance, but still do wonder if it has a little to do with, this is what I grew up with and my memories support. That, can't teach an old dog new tricks thing. Enjoy
In all seriousness I get your passion for Vinyl and the whole ‘ritual’ of setting up the TT. Before this thread morphed into Vinyl vs Digital, many of us invested considerable amount of time tinkering and tweaking our systems regardless of the source i.e Vinyl, CD or Streaming.
I can tell you why I dislike Vinyl (hate is a strong word).
1. The setup is cumbersome for any newbie. Personally I don’t see Vinyl as plug n play source and don’t want to the hassle of cleaning my records or cartridge each time I pull a record out of sleeve. Not to mention the need for a massive storage of your prized vinyl collection.
2. I don’t want to re-invest in a brand new library of music after ‘wasting’ thousands of dollars in cassette tapes and CD’s.
Vinyl and CD’s will continue to co-exist but streaming is the future. I still spin CD’s but I find myself streaming more N more due to its ease and convenience.
At the end of the day, it just comes down to enjoying your favorite tunes regardless of the medium.
For me I think there's a lot of nostalgia to it. I used to have a small but nice record collection and an OK turntable and loved listening to albums. Not songs, but the entire creation of the artist.
I bought a vintage Marantz receiver at a garage sale about 20 years ago and it came with a Marantz 6100 turntable. The turntable just sat in my garage for over a decade. I was out there one day and decided to clean it up and try it out. After a new belt and some cleaning and a new stylus, I was able to listen to some records. They didn't sound great, but there was something special about playing a record.
Now I have 5 turntables in 4 different systems and primarily spin vinyl. I have around 1,000 CDs, mostly all burned to hard drive, as well as Qobuz, Spotify, and Tidal, but prefer vinyl.
I prefer the sound of vinyl, although I have some pretty decent digital playback options also. However for me, it's really more about the tactile experience and the ritual of playing the album and the experience of active listening, versus what is often background music when I'm listening to digital sources. Perhaps some nostalgia also.
Apart from all the other reasons you mentioned, my reason is simple. Original well-recorded analogue records sound better than any reissues. Warts and all, there is a see-through clarity with the originals.
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