Why vinyl?

Les, my priorities are close to yours; vinyl first, SACD or DVD-A second, CD third, LossLess Download fourth and that's it, no tape for me, anymore. I think Dolby screws up good recordings and I gave up on costly reel-to-reel decades ago. Those high speed tapes make $50 LPs seem cheap.

Within a year or so I'll have a hard drive music server with true hi rez digital archiving and wireless transfer throughout the house. It's not available today at a reasonable price, but it will be very soon. Of course, I'll keep all my old LPs, CDs, SACDs, DVD-As, etc.

Dave

Well I am definitely a fan of vinyl. For a number of years I, too, only bought CDs (well a few records here and there). I know this is a familiar story but I just listened to music a lot less as time went on. When I got back into listening to music part of the reason was that I was back into vinyl. A new amp and speakers and now I listen to music all the time.

I was lucky in that I never sold my TT or my records so I still have them all.

That said I still listen to CDs, they still give me great musical experiences. I just prefer vinyl, it just sounds better. Oh, and the fun of having vinyl and taking care of it is part of the experience too.

DS

Les, in a sense, analogue also suffers from resolution limits, for example, the tape that is used cannot resolve the sound to smaller discrete packages than the size of the magnetic particles on the tape. And, of course, the playback of the tape is really just an integration (reassembling)of discrete particles of information into a coherent ensemble. The math behind the digital is superior to the 'mechanical' method of integration used by analogue.
Nyquist theory, anyone?

Bob P.

I think if they just packaged CDs into larger format LP-like packaging with some interesting artwork, etc., like the olden days, I would be very happy. I have thought about storing CDs of albums that I burn myself back in the original LP covers in protective sleeves, along with the vinyl. Haven't perfected this approach quite yet though.

Although I do like the sound of good vinyl, it's mostly the fun factor (and readability) of the whole package that appeals to me more so than the inherent sonics of vinyl alone.

Nothing the size of a CD will ever be as much fun as LPs were/are as long as it is packaged into a tiny, mostly unreadable case, as are CDs.

THese days, you get a lot more information about music online than you do anywhere else, so the days of fancy physical packaging of music may be over, I'm afraid.

I agree with the packaging and fun factor of collecting vinyl, I was just in London and picked up this funk compilation album "FUNK DROPS: Breaks, Nuggets and Rarities from the Vaults of Atlantic, Atco, Reprise and Warner Bros 1968-1974" (I wasn't even born yet) and it comes with these liner notes with a brief history of the songs and the musicians...very cool.

I also just got a tube preamp (first one, tube anything) and hooked up my crappy turntable and it sounds awesome... I was just A/B-ing the gear with some friends.. and I'm beginning to see what what people on Audiogon mean about soundstaging, speakers disappearing and "holographic" images.

Very happy with my $40 turntable today.... can't wait to get a proper power amp that is a good impedance match.

Played a 1969 live John Mayall record too.. and it seems fine musicians playing acoustic instruments sound so much better on vinyl.... I don't think it matters as much when I'm playing JT (Justin Timberlake) but I think I saw Sexyback on LP.... (just kidding... sorta)