Why vinyl? and The IKEA Effect

[Lapslah]

In the ongoing debate of vinyl vs digital, I've mentioned before that there's a certain sense of accomplishment with putting together a vinyl playback system that makes it more enjoyable for the me - whether the actual audio is superior or not. Recently I came across a TED talk by behavioral economist Dan Ariely that clarified this phenomenon.

The whole talk is interesting, but if you want to get right to what spoke to me about the vinyl hobby, jump to about 12:40.

https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_what_makes_us_feel_good_about_our_work#t-1222693

 

[DustyOldPile]

Perhaps, but I went back to vinyl more out of frustration with the pieces of crap that are CD's and CD players, iPods and other digital garbage.

 

[olddude55]

I got back into LPs because at the time, used LPs were cheap. I could walk out of Jerry's Records with an armload of LPs for what one CD cost.
After a while, it occurred to me that I just love playing records. There's no romance to clicking on a link or putting a little silver disc into a machine that sucks it in and you don't see it any more.
I like the look, feel, and smell of the LP. I love to watch the tone arm's stately progress from in-groove to out.
Arguments over which format sounds better are meaningless to me.
I have an old iPod which was a trusty companion that allowed me to my LPs while I worked. I've purchased hi-rez downloads and was mightily impressed by quality but all it did was motivate me to go out and find the LP copy.
I agree with DustyOldPile about CD players, at least. Never had one last more than two or three years before they stopped working.
On the other hand, my main turntable was manufactured 45 years ago, sat in someone's attic for 20 years before it fell into my hands, and after a few hours labor works flawlessly. Try THAT with a disc player!
So I don't download. I don't have a dedicated CD player. I don't stream music. I'm an LP guy and that's that.

 

[Condorsat]

Academe navel gazing to me. I like Vinyl because it's fun ... that's about as much thought as I put into it.

I like streaming because there are many albums (I'm an album guy) especially post 1990.. that I don't feel the need to own ... rent works better in that case ... takes up less space as well.

 

[DustyOldPile]

I do think that LP's sound better, but olddude55 and I seem to share a kindred spirit. The whole LP experience...the smells, the feel, the tactile experience of having two distinct 'acts' to the performance (Side One and Side Two) with the brief intermission to get up and get a beverage, hit the potty and then flip, clean and play, the cover art and the durability.

Yes, the durability. I have CD's that are from the early days of the format - mid 1980's, and an unacceptable percentage of them skip, some won't play at all and have developed pinholes in the layering that light can get through. I have run across very few unplayable records. Many of my records are over 50 years old and play like new. Digital things come and go with changes in technologies that have a very short shelf life before (planned) obsolescence sets in. One could never build a CD player from scratch, or an MP3 player, thumb drive reader, etc. But if you had to, you could build a phono cartridge and a turntable. Some people have made a living of doing just that. Records may be a hot fad at the moment, but they've proven over time that they're the best archival format for recorded music. This is why I always wince when I come across one of the 32 billion threads on AK about vinyl to digital transfers. Unless the title isn't available digitally and you just have to play it in the car or at the beach, it's a foolish venture.

I'll take records, please.

 

[Balifly]

What vinyl and digital debate?

There are lots of vinyl that were digitally mastered to begin with and lots of CD that were analog mastered to begin with.

 

[DustyOldPile]

What vinyl and digital debate?

There are lots of vinyl that were digitally mastered to begin with and lots of CD that were analog mastered to begin with.

I'd venture to say that there's a big difference in digital studio equipment and the junk that passes as consumer playback equipment.

 

[invaderzim]

I do sometimes miss the physicality of playing a record. Listening to a record is more of an event. You interact with the medium you commit to listening to the artist. You get the large artwork and liner notes (someday someone will come out with augmented reality that will allow you to pretend to hold those and turn them and look at them with digital audio).

By comparison playing music on my networked streaming device is a bit disconnected. I scroll through, pick an artist, listen for a bit, decide that isn't what I want and try a few more before settling on one.

But for me, music is usually a background for another activity so if I had to interact with it every half an album I probably wouldn't listen as much.

I can see if you have a dedicated listening space and the act of listening is your only activity for that time that records could be more fulfilling.

 

[Gary Francks]

I agree with DustyOldPile about CD players, at least. Never had one last more than two or three years before they stopped working.

Never had a Sony that lasted more than 3 years before unobtainable laser went kaput yet I have a 1985 Trip CD-P1000 that still works faultless and plays CDR's as well.

IMHO playing lps is perhaps a generation type thing, old farts like me who have heard decent lp replay and realise that we were sold a pup with the promise of cd.

 

[DeeCee]

I’ll take good digital over bad analog and good analog over bad digital any day of the week!

Just call me the audio agnostic!

 

[olddude55]

I’ll take good digital over bad analog and good analog over bad digital any day of the week!

Just call me the audio agnostic!

You have the right attitude, I'm wrong I know.
I'm an old fart who came of age in the 1970s, the days of peak turntable, but it's more than that. I was obsessed with records and record players since I was old enough to know what one was.
The only reason I got away from it in the mid-80s was money. I was broke, my kids were toddlers. There was no time to play records and not enough money coming in, so I sold everything. I never laid eyes on a CD player or a CD until long after my turntable and LPs were gone.

 

[Balifly]

CD's are out of fashion for the moment, selling for as low as $0.25 @ in some instances.

Seen some digitally remastered analog Jazz album......

 

[E-Stat]

But if you had to, you could build a phono cartridge and a turntable.

Just not the required phono preamplifier that follows. Such requires manufactured active and passive devices.

 

[Alobar]

In my case I like LP's because of their sound, not necessarily because they are superior to CD's because I don't believe that's the case at all, but because, at least for many of the vinyl albums I have they sound smoother, maybe a bit more dynamic and more interesting. This is AFTER I have ripped them to FLAC 16/44.1. Go figure. Whatever the case I will continue to dabble in vinyl (mostly from Bartertown) as funds and time permit.
Edit: A reminder to BT sellers using USPS media mail, limiting your sales to the CONUS (48 states) is cutting off Alaska and Hawaii for no reason as Media Mail is the same price in all 50 states. I say this because there are LP's I like to buy but when I see CONUS I am automatically feeling shut out.

 

[olddude55]

I ripped a lot of LPs to redbook .wav but only so I could listen to them at work. First I played the CDs until one CD player after another failed, then I got an iPod.
But I never, ever listen to the rips at home, in my stereo room.

 

[DeeCee]

You have the right attitude, I'm wrong I know.
I'm an old fart who came of age in the 1970s, the days of peak turntable, but it's more than that. I was obsessed with records and record players since I was old enough to know what one was.
The only reason I got away from it in the mid-80s was money. I was broke, my kids were toddlers. There was no time to play records and not enough money coming in, so I sold everything. I never laid eyes on a CD player or a CD until long after my turntable and LPs were gone.

I get it... I’m keeping all my media no matter what. Invested way too much to dump my LPs (and now CDs.)

 

[bonzo4ever!]

I couldn't stream a song if you paid me to. Not because of my stubbornness towards digital by any means. { child of the 80's }. It's because I haven't taken the time to learn how to. Maybe it sounds a shit ton better. I couldn't tell you. But I live in the country without the hustle and bustle of subways, deadlines or whatever. I have the time to kick back and listen .

 

[MoreBeer]

Can't beat the picture quality of a 27" Zenith CRT color television. It has that warm analog quality to it.

 

[vinyl1]

I’ll take good digital over bad analog and good analog over bad digital any day of the week!

Just call me the audio agnostic!

I have found that bad digital is much worse than bad analogue. I heard a digital system over the weekend (streamer, DAC, amp, and expensive speakers) that was completely unlistenable. That never happens with any sort of turntable and receiver, never mind a high-analogue rig.

 

[olddude55]

I couldn't stream a song if you paid me to. Not because of my stubbornness towards digital by any means. { child of the 80's }. It's because I haven't taken the time to learn how to. Maybe it sounds a shit ton better. I couldn't tell you. But I live in the country without the hustle and bustle of subways, deadlines or whatever. I have the time to kick back and listen .

Streaming doesn't sound better but it's easy as clicking on a link. Hi-rez downloads do sound fantastic. Probably the way to go if you're chasing the best sound possible.
I don't like the idea of paying for a hi-rez audio file that I don't technically own. Remember, the media conglomerates' position is that they own the music, we don't. You buy the file and download it, they could snatch it back at some point in the future. No thanks.