Music: Any vinyl collectors out here?

[Porn*]

Yet myself and many others were buying vinyl years and years before "hipster" was even a thing.

bingo...

 

[Mrb1p]

I've never been able to actually take that first step and justify the cost and take it up as a hobby, but I definitely find the whole vinyl thing very appealing. I don't know if it's necessarily any more accurate, but there is a quality to the sound (complete with the pops and cracks) that does sound tastier to my ears (similar to how film grain just has a nicer look compared to ultra-sharp/ultra smooth film quality). There's also just something about having the physical album cover displayed prominently and how the whole experience has this earthy ritual quality to it, (similar to what tea enthusiasts do, I guess), that just feels right. And there's inherently something strangely appealing about just watching a record spin.

Theres no feeling like the initial pop the needle gives you when you first press play.

 

[vdB]

Yet myself and many others were buying vinyl years and years before "hipster" was even a thing.

Just because the word wasn't around doesn't make it true. The definition is timeless.

I feel sorry for anyone who buys vinyl. They're delusional.

 

[hototogisu]

I feel sorry for anyone who buys vinyl. They're delusional.

Do you believe that anyone who collects anything simply because they like it and it makes them happy is delusional, or is this just low-effort trolling without a real means to an end?

 

[Mikeaveli]

Just because the word wasn't around doesn't make it true. The definition is timeless.

I feel sorry for anyone who buys vinyl. They're delusional.

I know that you're probably just messing with us at this point, but I'm legitimately interested in this point of view. Why are they delusional?

 

[Mrb1p]

I know that you're probably just messing with us at this point, but I'm legitimately interested in this point of view. Why are they delusional?

Expensive, cumbersome.

Obviously owning digital music makes more sense, but yeah.

 

[Shareefruck]

Expensive, cumbersome.

Obviously owning digital music makes more sense, but yeah.

The fact that it's expensive and cumbersome/not easy to carry around doesn't suggest that people are deluded, though. Just that they think there are rewards that offset its limitations.

Finding something impractical and finding it delusional are two very different things. People don't (and in my opinion, shouldn't) only do things to be practical.

 

[PBandJ]

Just because the word wasn't around doesn't make it true. The definition is timeless.

I feel sorry for anyone who buys vinyl. They're delusional.

Good thing none of us live for your opinion then.

You should support your opinion with actual facts.

 

[vdB]

Do you believe that anyone who collects anything simply because they like it and it makes them happy is delusional, or is this just low-effort trolling without a real means to an end?

Well if it makes you happy - sure, go ahead enjoy.

But all these lame reasons i've read here to justify buying it over digital is cheesy. "I love the graining sound" ...wtf?? That's delusional.

 

[hototogisu]

Well if it makes you happy - sure, go ahead enjoy.

But all these lame reasons i've read here to justify buying it over digital is cheesy. "I love the graining sound" ...wtf?? That's delusional.

You literally just said "if it makes you happy, go ahead and enjoy, unless I think the reason it makes you happy is stupid in which case you're wrong and delusional".

Vinyl sounds audibly different from digital and CD, I don't think that's up for debate. So why is it so outlandish that some people may prefer it?

 

[les Habs]

Expensive, cumbersome.

Obviously owning digital music makes more sense, but yeah.

Both "expensive" and "cumbersome" are relative. I don't find either to be the case. Also, it should be noted that when you buy vinyl new you get a digital download in the overwhelming majority of cases.

 

[PBandJ]

The biggest thing I've noticed on vinyl is that the instruments tend to be far clearer. Cd and mp3 sound smushed together and undynamic.

That's my big takeaway.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

I definitely prefer vinyl to anything else, even just for the cover art alone, but I tend to be pretty picky about what I pick up so I don't have a big collection. It's usually stuff I really love and don't mind listening to over and over again.

It can become an expensive hobby pretty quickly. I never find too much I want to purchase at thrift stores, and most used places know what they have so it's priced accordingly. I am not complaining, just that my purchases are always few and far between.

 

[Mrb1p]

Both "expensive" and "cumbersome" are relative. I don't find either to be the case. Also, it should be noted that when you buy vinyl new you get a digital download in the overwhelming majority of cases.

Hey, I have over a hundred vinyls, im not thr enemy.

I just like to be objective, and it is more cumbersome and a lot more expensive than CDs or digital music.

 

[Shareefruck]

Hey, I have over a hundred vinyls, im not thr enemy.

I just like to be objective, and it is more cumbersome and a lot more expensive than CDs or digital music.

But again, those aren't signs of delusion (a far more serious charge), they're signs of impracticality and inconvenience.

It cannot be called delusional to merely enjoy something that's inconvenient/impractical. It's no more delusional than choosing to take a walk when you can take a cab.

 

[beowulf]

Well if it makes you happy - sure, go ahead enjoy.

But all these lame reasons i've read here to justify buying it over digital is cheesy. "I love the graining sound" ...wtf?? That's delusional.

How old are you?

There is a warmth to vinyl that you'll never get with digital. At the end of the day people like you will never understand.

Also do you ever read books or only digital?

 

[Mrb1p]

But again, those aren't signs of delusion (a far more serious charge), they're signs of impracticality and inconvenience.

It cannot be called delusional to merely enjoy something that's inconvenient/impractical. It's no more delusional than choosing to take a walk when you can take a cab.

But a walk is free and healthy, a cab is not and its bad for the planet.

I didnt call it delusional

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

How old are you?

There is a warmth to vinyl that you'll never get with digital. At the end of the day people like you will never understand.

Also do you ever read books or only digital?

Interesting comparison because I don't like E readers at all! I prefer to get that good book smell and have a physical copy to thumb through.

Also, I have music on vinyl as well as a Spotify account...crazy I know!!!

 

[Shareefruck]

But a walk is free and healthy, a cab is not and its bad for the planet.

I didnt call it delusional

Fine, calling "choosing to take a walk when offered a ride, not for the exercise, but for the fun of it" delusional then.

Oh. You can understand why I thought you did:

I know that you're probably just messing with us at this point, but I'm legitimately interested in this point of view. Why are they delusional?

Expensive, cumbersome.

Obviously owning digital music makes more sense, but yeah.

 

[PBandJ]

Found a copy of Bob Seger's "Night Moves" in the used bin at a store by my place. Definitely in a good mood now.

 

[Ouroboros]

Assuming the proper process is followed, vinyl should sound better than digital. That's just based on the physics of sound waveforms. Digital audio is basically an approximation of pure analog sound. Sort of. That said, there are caveats:

1. The source of your master files are the biggest determinant of sound quality. If you are sourcing a record from CD-quality audio it's going to sound like trash. You have to use analog masters or high def 24 bit digital files. There is a ton of low quality vinyl coming out in recent years.

2. Long albums are not suited to vinyl. Once you go beyond 45 minutes or thereabouts a noticeable drop in quality can be heard. Smaller grooves mean more noise/sound artifacts.

For me it's worthwhile for a number of reasons, even if my collection has shrunk a ton in recent years. That said I think the vinyl format suits certain genres of music more than others.

Digital is definitely more practical. Portability is huge. I also wonder about the limits of human hearing - what percentage of people can tell a 320 kbps MP3 from a FLAC file? Probably not many, especially if you're listening through a low quality set-up. So how much of this extra audio information is even detectable by human ears?

 

[Gordon Lightfoot]

It sounds lame but I do like the interactivity I get with a record. It's not *necessary* but it adds to my enjoyment. It's similar to a book vs. digital/kindle, but obviously the book thing is more important.

 

[Roboturner913]

I have around 200. At one point I had maybe close to 1,000, a big chunk of those inherited from my father-in-law or bought at flea markets and such. I got frustrated with all the space devoted to them so I pared it down a lot.

Now I only buy new sealed copies, but that has its frustrations too. I just got a sealed copy of The Sword's Age of Winters but it's off-center and has flash peeling off everywhere. Had the same issue with one from the recent Zeppelin reissues.

 

[Roboturner913]

I feel sorry for anyone who buys vinyl. They're delusional.

Digital bits can never perfectly reproduce an analog waveform, no matter how small the bits are or how many of them exist. On a digital recording, the slope of a musical wave is no longer a slope, it's a staircase. You're not getting a proper representation of the original recording.

 

[kook10]

Digital bits can never perfectly reproduce an analog waveform, no matter how small the bits are or how many of them exist. On a digital recording, the slope of a musical wave is no longer a slope, it's a staircase. You're not getting a proper representation of the original recording.

I don't buy that just because it is full resolution/analog it is necessarily bettet. Lots of things go into the master recording signal chain anyway. All recordings are inherently colored from the beginning. Vinyl is one of the more coloring mediums too. Whereas analog squashes, digital clips. Really it comes down to what flavor you like. Tape is more pleasing to me, but even less practical. At this point in my life I enjoy quantity of listening and the raw spark in the music more than the pure audiophile appeal, so streaming it is.